


I Will Always Be There For You

by LostStarsJK



Series: Winter Solstice [1]
Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Original Character(s), Science Fiction, Suicide, Tagging as I go, Torture, Vampires, most of the antagonists are original characters of mine, tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-29 03:16:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5114021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostStarsJK/pseuds/LostStarsJK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night, Jungkook mysteriously disappears. Worried, the other members search for him. They find him the next day, but strange and distant. </p><p>Everything that Jungkook once knew is no more when he is turned into a vampire - in a world where tensions between vampires and humans are soaring. In his struggle to do what he believes is right, he suffers when he feels he has to choose between his bonds of brotherhood, friendship, and love.</p><p>Vampire AU. It's technically set in the 'real world' but an alternate version where vampires exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Only the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I know this first chapter is really short, but the chapters will gradually get longer. This is meant to serve as a short intro, for the overall flow of the story.

Yoongi plopped his head down onto the back of his car seat, exhausted. They were on the quiet road back from promoting at Music Bank. He turned to observe the other members. Taehyung was absentmindedly staring out the window, wearing a black expression. Namjoon was listening to his music, headphones on, as he softly hummed along to the melody, tapping his fingers to the beat. Jimin, Hoseok, Seokjin, and Jungkook had already fallen asleep.

 

It was moments like this that brought content smiles to his face, even as his own eyes threatened to close. These were the people he spent almost all his time with, both while awake and asleep. He thought, _Even if I can’t go back and change all the regretful moments of my life, it would be fine, because otherwise, I might not have met these six boys._

 

—

 

“Hey guys, have you seen Jungkook?” Seokjin asked when they got home. “I was going to ask him if I could borrow one of his shirts, but I can’t find him anywhere…”

 

Yoongi frowned, scratching at his shirt drowsily. The boy would turn up sooner or later. Chances were, he was probably holed up in some small space, fast asleep.

 

“Huh?” Namjoon asked from across the room, caught off guard. “Check the practice room. He probably fell asleep in there again.”

 

“I have,” the eldest said worriedly. “And I checked the washroom, all the bedrooms, literally everywhere, but I still can’t find him.”

 

Namjoon sprang up from his seat with a frown. “That’s weird… Hobi, have you seen Jungkook?” he called.

 

Hoseok’s eyebrows shot up. “No… I haven’t. I didn’t even see him brush his teeth. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him ever since we got out of the car… I’m gonna go ask Taehyung and Jimin.” He turned to Yoongi. “Did you see him?”

 

“No,” Yoongi said, scrunching his brows together to think back to when they had left the car. “I saw him leave the car and I’m almost certain I saw him come into the building. Where could he be?”

 

When they realized no one knew Jungkook’s current whereabouts, they decided to inform their managers and look for him.

 

Namjoon said, “Jimin, you stay here in case Jungkook returns. If he does, call any one of us. Hobi and Taehyung, head north to search for him. Yoongi hyung, could you check south? Jin hyung, could you come with me and check east? The manager hyungs said they would check west.”

 

All in agreement with the plan, they set off.

 

Yoongi grumbled, “If this is a hidden camera prank, I seriously… just no.”


	2. Never The Same Again

“Over here!” Taehyung called. Hoseok rushed to trail the sound of Taehyung's voice and found him crouching next to Jungkook, a comforting hand placed on the maknae’s shoulder. Jungkook looked pale and afraid as he stared at the ground with wide eyes, shivering. Taehyung was quick to take off his jacket to wrap around his shoulders.

 

Hoseok asked urgently, “Jungkook! What happened? Are you alright?”

 

Jungkook made no indication to show he had heard him, and Hoseok was about to ask again when the youngest slowly tilted his head in a nod.

 

 _By no means does he look okay_ , Hoseok thought. He kept that thought to himself, however, knowing the younger boy didn’t like to be prodded. “Let’s get you home, okay?” he said, offering his hand.

 

Jungkook slowly took it, standing up with the help of his hyung. _He’s so cold_ , Hoseok realized with a start. _What exactly happened to him last night?_ With his concern growing by the second, he wanted to ask, but the younger boy still appeared to be in some sort of trance. Hoseok sensed a distance in Jungkook’s eyes, as though he were miles away, despite being right next to him.

 

\---

 

Taehyung had made Jungkook a hot cup of cocoa and wrapped blankets over him. His arms enveloped him in a comforting embrace as he tried to make his boyfriend feel better. Yoongi, who was best friends with Jungkook, fussed over him in his own stoic way. Even with the blankets and hot chocolate, Jungkook remained pale and shivering. He still appeared unfocused and out of it. On the surface, Yoongi appeared calm and cool, but inside, he was worried sick. He touched the younger boy’s forehead to check for a fever, and drew back with surprise when it was unnaturally cold. He rushed to the bathroom to grab a thermometer. He placed it gently into Jungkook’s ear and waited for a moment. When he drew it out, it read 32 degrees Celsius. Yoongi couldn't believe it. 

 

“Jungkook, how do you feel? I mean seriously. You don’t have to give the strong answer. It says 32 degrees right here. Below 35 is considered hypothermia,” Yoongi said urgently, concern clouding his features.

 

The raven-haired maknae turned his gaze over to Yoongi and said, “I really feel fine. Maybe the thermometer's broken. It didn't work last time when Namjoonie hyung had the flu either. You don’t have to worry, hyung.” He mustered a smile. He didn’t want to worry anyone, especially not his Yoongi hyung, who had done so much for him over the years. _Besides, he knew the one thing his hyung hated more than anything..._ He brushed the thought away and tried to focus on maintaining a happy expression, eager to convince everyone how okay he was.

 

Namjoon asked, “Jungkook... what really happened last night?”

 

Jungkook didn’t know how to respond to that. _What was he supposed to say? ‘Oh, I went out for some fresh air, but got ambushed by someone who sucked my blood dry from my wrist and then fed me their own blood?'_

 

He shivered as he recalled the fear that had consumed him in that moment. It was a fear he had never even imagined before- the helplessness that one feels when they see their life force being drained before their own two eyes, yet unable to do anything to escape. He had struggled hard to free himself, but his attacker’s grasp had felt like a steel cage. Then, before he could even register what was happening, his assailant had forcibly pushed his wrist into Jungkook’s mouth. In his panic, he had almost choked on the blood. But before he could think anything else, everything had gone dark. When he awoke, it was dawn and he had found himself sprawled on the ground in an alleyway, disoriented, confused, and petrified.

 

Over the years, his ears had picked up several stories of vampires attacking humans. Jungkook even knew people who had lost loved ones to vampire attacks, but it was such a rare occurrence, akin to getting stabbed on the street in a safe city, that he had never thought it would happen to him. Of course, he knew that being a vampire victim was not something he had to hide, but he felt more comfortable keeping it to himself. He knew how much Yoongi hyung and Taetae hyung hated vampires.

 

Yoongi’s parents had been brutally murdered by vampires when he was a child, leaving Yoongi orphaned with a pit of hell in his heart that he reserved for vampires. Taehyung’s younger brother had suffered the same fate years ago, and ever since then, he had never been the same. Jungkook did not want them to seek revenge and get themselves injured or killed. He couldn’t stand the idea of burdening them that way, so he decided it was best to keep the truth from them.

 

“Jungkook? Kookie?” Taehyung brought him back to the present. “Are you alright?”

 

Jungkook looked around to see all the members awaiting a response to Namjoon's question. “Sorry, I’m just a little shaken up,” he apologized. “Yesterday, I went out to get some fresh air, but I got attacked by someone from behind and got knocked out. They probably wanted my money, but I didn’t have my wallet on me, so I think they just left.”

 

 _There._ It wasn’t a complete lie, and it was somewhat believable.

 

Jimin stood up. “We should call the police. If someone attacked you, they could do it again. What if they had seriously hurt you?” He paced back and forth. 

 

Namjoon agreed, “Yeah. Also, we need to get you to the hospital. Sometimes, even if you feel okay right now- I mean, what if there’s internal damage? We should make sure everything’s completely alright with you.”

 

 _No, no… please not the hospital,_ Jungkook thought. He said aloud, “No, it’s alright. I just really don’t want to go to the hospital. Please can we not go?” He looked anxious enough that Namjoon reluctantly dropped the matter.

 

It was a plausible enough excuse that the others decided not to press the matter. It was a well-known fact among the members that Jungkook hated hospitals. When he was a child, he had lost his parents in a car accident, barely escaping with his life. He had endured long, painful months at the hospital and now, the mere idea of setting foot in a hospital gave him bouts of nausea.

 

However, aside from hating hospitals, Jungkook was also nervous because he suspected he himself might have become a vampire. It was rare for that to happen, of course, as victims of vampires were usually left dead and devoid of blood. _But what if?_ There was talk that if a human died whilst having vampire blood in their body, they would be reborn, but as a transitioning vampire. After that, drinking human blood would complete the transition, turning that human into a vampire... 

 

 _Oh come on Jeon Jungkook, you can’t really believe that, can you?_ he chided himself. The idea itself was ridiculous. Why would a vampire want to turn him into their own kind? _Besides, people can’t come back to life once they've already died._

 

Even so, there was a sinking feeling in his gut, nagging him of the possibility that he could be turning into a vampire. He had felt different ever since he woke up that morning in the alleyway. He felt colder, hungrier than he had ever been, extra perceptive, and everything seemed… intensified. His emotions, his responses, his senses. Everything felt like it was on overdrive. He tried to find a natural explanation for it all, but couldn’t shake his growing anxiety as his explanations seemed less and less plausible. If he went to the hospital, they would realize how abnormal his body temperature was. He wouldn’t even have the excuse of a broken thermometer.

 


	3. Of Dancing and Stocks

"Come on, Jungkook. Focus! You’re too far to the left!” their dance teacher said, frustrated.

 

The boys had been practicing their choreography for the title track of their next album, and Jungkook kept making uncharacteristic mistakes, causing the whole group to have to keep practicing for hours.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook said, bowing his head. He looked around at the other members. They looked exhausted. He sighed. It was all his fault. 

 

Hoseok said, “Kookie, you’re not usually like this. Is something up?”

 

“No, I’m just tired today. Sorry guys, I’m really sorry for messing up so much.”

 

“Nah, that’s okay, it happens," Taehyung reassured him.

 

“Yeah,” Jimin agreed. “I mean, thanks to you, we’re getting a lot of practice. It’ll be good for us anyway.” He flashed him an encouraging smile.

 

Jungkook returned a flat smile, feeling guilty. He appreciated his members for being so supportive, but it made him feel worse that he was making so many mistakes and wasting everyone’s time. He was frustrated and disappointed with himself because this was the result after giving it his all. But he was just _so exhausted_. His arms and legs were shaking and he wished they could finish practice for the day and just sleep. Every few seconds, he tried his hardest to focus, but that only lasted five seconds before he lost concentration again.

 

“Let’s try that again from the top,” their dance instructor said. Panting heavily, Jungkook rushed over to his starting position.

 

 _Please, cooperate this time,_ he thought to his aching limbs. They ran through the choreo again and after what seemed like an eternity, their instructor said they could quit practice for the night. It was just in time, as Jungkook’s stomach had started turning and he was getting a new wave of nausea. He ran to the bathroom and hurled up all the contents of his stomach. Exhausted, he rested his head back against the wall and just sat there for a while, not feeling like he had the energy to get up.

 

“Hey, Jungkook?” a concerned Taehyung called as he knocked on the door. “You alright? You’ve been in there for a while. Are you sick? Open up.”

 

Jungkook turned his head towards the door. “I’m fine, I think the chicken I had for dinner was bad or something,” he said, mustering his best reassuring voice. “Wait a sec, I’ll just brush my teeth first,” he called.

 

He groaned. He would have to get up now. Using the shower tub for support, he shakily got to his feet. After brushing his teeth, he managed to make it to the door and unlock it. Taehyung opened it right away.

 

“Hey, Kookie, you don’t look so good,” he said, anxiously biting his lip as he noted Jungkook’s cold sweat.

 

“Taetae hyung,” his face lit up at the sight of Taehyung. _Why are his lip bites so damn cute?_ he thought to himself. Before he took another step, however, his legs gave way and he fell toward the floor.

 

Taehyung quickly moved to catch him before he hit the floor. “Hey, easy there.”

 

Jungkook tried to play it off as nothing. “Wow, I haven’t danced this hard in weeks. I guess this is what a proper workout is supposed to feel like.”

 

Unconvinced, Taehyung said, “No, stop right there. I was worried about you ever since you got attacked that day. I think you must have some sort of internal damage. Whatever it is, we need to get it checked out. We’re going to the hospital right now.” He grabbed Jungkook’s hand and dragged him out of the bathroom.

 

Panicking, Jungkook tugged at Taehyung’s hand with both hands. In his weak state, it wasn’t enough to stop his hyung, who seemed to be supercharged with energy. Jungkook dropped to his knees in order to stop himself from being dragged. Taehyung turned around and said in exasperation, “No, no whining. And no doe-eyed pouting either. Jungkook, I’m worried you might be seriously ill. We’re going now.” He looked firm. “So let’s get up.”

 

Jungkook put both his hands on Taehyung’s shoulders and looked desperately into his eyes. “I. Am. Not. Going. To. The. Hospital. We’re _not_ going to the hospital.”

 

After a few seconds, Taehyung’s face turned blank and he said, “Okay, then we’re not going.”

 

Relieved, Jungkook let out a sigh. He was puzzled at how easy it was to convince his hyung, who was usually impossible to stop once he had made up his mind, but right now, he was so glad that he didn’t think much of it.

 

“Let’s go sleep,” he said, tugging at Taehyung’s loose left sleeve. They walked to the room at the end of the hall that they shared and got in bed. Jungkook felt a little better once he lay down. He yawned and rubbed his eyes one by one. Taehyung’s features molded into a fond smile as he watched the younger boy.

 

“What?” Jungkook asked.

 

“You’re just so adorable I don’t know what to do,” Taehyung replied, pouting.

 

Jungkook grinned and said, “Well, I do. This is the course of action I like to take when I have the same problem with you.” He leaned over and softly kissed the older boy, gently moving his fingers through Taehyung’s dark brown hair.

 

Taehyung smiled and kissed him back. Then he detached himself from him. “Hey, wait no-” Jungkook protested. Taehyung cupped Jungkook’s face gently with his hands and said, “It’s because I just want to look at you for a while.”

 

Jungkook laughed. “What, never seen someone this handsome before?” he joked.

 

Taehyung just marveled, “ _God_ , you’re just so beautiful.” He sighed happily and slowly moved forward to kiss Jungkook’s left cheek. Jungkook closed his eyes, feeling a sense of comfort that only his Taetae hyung could give him. Then Taehyung moved to his other cheek, then his nose, then his forehead. Jungkook smiled happily. He always felt so complete when Taehyung kissed him like that. It was almost like a before-bed ritual, but it never got old. “Hey, you forgot the most important place,” he pouted as he tapped his bottom lip with his finger.

 

Taehyung laughed. “You seem to have forgotten how expensive my kisses are, Kookie."

 

Jungkook replied, “Ohh really? Then I suppose the price of my hugs just went up,” untangling himself from Taehyung. He lay with his back to the older boy, refusing to turn around. 

 

Amused, Taehyung said, “Ohhhh hey, would you look at that. The stock prices just went down.”

 

Fondly, he put his arms around Jungkook’s waist and pulled him into a snug embrace. Jungkook smiled and said mischievously, “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be impossible for me to bring mine down as well… out of pity.” He turned around and hugged him back. They lay like that cuddling until they both fell asleep.


	4. Helplessness

Yoongi and Jungkook were working on a duet together. It was a special holiday track they had been preparing for weeks, as a surprise for ARMYs.

 

“That was great, Kookie,” Yoongi said proudly. “Your tone for the ending got so much better. It’s perfect.”

 

Jungkook beamed at the praise. He said modestly that it was all thanks to his hyung’s guidance. Yoongi gave him a strange smile. He considered the younger boy for a moment, then continued, “Our Jungkookie, always so sweet and kind… I wonder how someone like you could have done such a thing…”

 

Puzzled, Jungkook cocked his head to the side. “What thing…?”

 

Yoongi’s smile faded. “I mean… how could you betray me like this?!”

 

Jungkook frowned, taken aback. “What do you mean? Yoongi hyung, I never betrayed you.”

 

Gritting his teeth, Yoongi snarled, “Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

 

Hurt and confused, Jungkook asked, “Wh-what did I do wrong? If I made a mistake or forgot something, please tell me! I didn’t mean-”

 

“ _Stop. Stop that_. Just stop. Those innocent doe eyes of yours that you activate every time we get mad at you, that innocent tone of voice asking what you’ve done wrong, as if you’re genuinely clueless. Just everything. Stop. It’s not fair and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you. Get out of my sight. Never appear in front of me again.”

 

It was Jungkook’s turn to get mad. “I’m not fair? And it’s fair to get mad at someone who hasn’t done anything without even telling them why you’re mad?”

 

Yoongi’s expression hardened and his tone grew icy. “Oh, I wasn’t aware you vampires abided by the same rules of justice as us.”

 

Jungkook froze, his eyes wide. He was speechless. _How did Yoongi hyung find out? Have I been too obvious? Did he see through my terrible broken thermometer excuse? Then do the others know too? Taetae hyung?_ A thousand thoughts ricocheted off the surfaces of his mind. It was too much, all at once. Disoriented, he blinked several times, feeling uneasy. “I have to go,” he muttered as he fled the studio.

 

He ran miles and miles until he found himself in a vast field full of tall grasses and trees. It was his favourite spot to de-stress. This was the one place where he felt as if he could strip down his vulnerabilities before the world, yet instead of feeling small, he would feel empowered. He came here when the world became too large for him to handle. He found himself coming here more often than usual lately.

 

“Up here!” he heard Taehyung’s voice from above. He looked up. Sure enough, his hyung was sitting atop a tree branch, waving with both his arms, a huge smile illuminating his features.

 

“Taetae hyung!” joy flooded him. “But… how are you here?”

 

Taehyung replied, “I saw you leaving the dorm, upset. So naturally, I came here. You always come here when you’re upset.”

 

Jungkook smiled. _He knows me so well._

 

As if he had read his mind, Taehyung said, “Of course I know you so well, silly. We have a telepathic connection!” He closed his eyes, enlarged his nostrils, and smiled in the silly way that Jungkook loved so much.

 

Jungkook rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. “Just come down from the tree and get over here,” he called.

 

“Coming!” Taehyung said with a salute. Suddenly, something blurred in front of him, knocking him down. The older boy lost his balance and fell to the ground, hard.

 

“NO!” Jungkook shouted. He rushed to his boyfriend’s side. “Taetae hyung? Hyung, are you alright?”

  
When Taehyung did not stir, his fear turned into full-fledged panic. “Wake up! Please, just please open your eyes! Please please, wake up!” He searched desperately for help. To his dismay, there was no one in sight.

 

 _119, I have to call an ambulance,_ he thought to himself. He scrambled to take his phone out of his back pocket, but his hands felt like jello and the action took forever to complete. Frustrated, he cursed out.

 

Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain surge through his body as someone kicked him in the gut.  His phone was knocked out of his hand as he struggled to breathe. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black boot appear out of nowhere to crush his phone with a powerful stomp. Jungkook looked up to face his assailant. It was a raven-haired man who appeared to be in his early twenties. His face was mischievous, sculpted, unsympathetic. He had a cocky air about him in the way that he stood. Jungkook narrowed his eyes as he realized the man looked familiar. _Where have I seen him before?_

 

“Well, well, looks like you won’t be calling anyone anytime soon,” the man jeered at him in a sadistically playful voice.

 

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Jungkook managed between gasps.

 

“Oh?” the man raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. “I’m disappointed, Jeon Jungkook. I would have thought your memory was better than that.” He tsk-tsked.

 

Suspicious, Jungkook questioned, “Do I know you?”

 

“Oh okay, now I’m hurt,” he said sarcastically with a smirk. The man’s expression hardened and then all of a sudden, he was gone. Jungkook looked around everywhere. _Where did he go?_ He took the chance to grab his phone to see if there was any chance it would still be functional. But before he could even press the power button, the man returned, seemingly out of nowhere, holding Jungkook in a firm headlock. He grabbed Jungkook’s wrist so hard it bruised, and brought it to his teeth. Jungkook winced as the man bit into his wrist and started drinking his blood.

 

Jungkook panicked as he realized that without a doubt, this man was the same man who attacked him several days ago. Unwelcome memories of that night flashed into his head. He felt a sick sense of deja vu as he tried to break free of the man’s grasp, but failed yet again against the man’s steel arms.

 

“HELP! Please! HELP!” he screamed as loud as he could.

 

The man stopped feeding to laugh at him. “Yeah, go ahead. Scream. Scream as loud as you can. Nobody will be able to hear you.” He smirked. “You’re pathetic,” he muttered, his voice betraying a strange bitterness.

 

“Agh,” Jungkook heard Taehyung groan as he came to. The man smiled as he turned toward the sound. Turning back to Jungkook, his voice turned hard, “Watch carefully _, THIS_ is how easy it is for me to take away the people that you love.” He sneered at Jungkook with a crazed glint in his eyes.

 

“No, no, no, please no,” begged Jungkook, on the verge of tears. “I’ll do anything, anything you want. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Just don’t hurt him.”

 

The man contemplated the younger boy’s words. “Alright, I won’t.” Relieved, Jungkook let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. Then his relief became suspicion. _The guy was going to give up that easily? Surely, there was something else._ Sure enough, the man beckoned to Jungkook. “If you feed on this boy here, then I won’t kill him.”

 

Jungkook’s blood turned cold. “Feed on him?”

 

“Yes, yes,” the man said impatiently. “Remember the deal? The one you made about a second ago?”

 

“But you said you wouldn’t hurt him!”

 

“Precisely. I said _I_ wouldn’t hurt him. I didn’t say anything about you.”

 

Jungkook faltered, “I- no- how could I… this is ridiculous. If you want something from me, take it from me! But leave him alone.”

 

“Feed on him, or he dies! And you die along with him!” the man roared. “FEED!”

 

He grabbed Jungkook by the scruff and pushed him roughly toward Taehyung. As Jungkook made no move to do anything, the man pushed Jungkook’s head down so that it was pressed against Taehyung’s neck.

 

“Feel that? The blood pulsing through his vessels? That sweet aroma? Stop resisting it.” Jungkook realized how thirsty he really was as the man kept drawing his focus to his boyfriend’s neck. _I can’t though. This is Taetae hyung. I can’t,_ he thought to himself. But the longer he tried to resist it, the sweeter the scent became. He could already feel himself losing. And he hadn’t eaten in _days._ He hadn’t felt this kind of thirst in his entire life. _It wouldn’t hurt to just take one small sip, would it? A person wouldn’t die of that... And this way, the man said he would leave his hyung alone..._

  
_Forgive me,_ Jungkook pleaded to Taehyung in his head. As if the telepathy went through, Taehyung kept quiet and squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip. Jungkook bared his teeth, which had grown sharper as of late, and bit into Taehyung’s neck, droplets of blood forming as he broke the skin.

 

\---

 

Jungkook woke with a start. He was doused in sweat. He broke out in uncontrollable sobs. “Taetae hyung, what have I done to you?” he cried. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” he said over and over again as tears obstructed his vision.

 

“Kookie?” a sleepy voice called. _But it can't be_. Confused, he wiped his tears away. He could make out a concerned Taehyung bending over him.

 

Disoriented, Jungkook asked, “Taetae hyung?” He had never been so surprised and relieved to see anyone in his entire life. He hugged him tight, never intending to let go. He was real. He was okay. It had all been a bad dream. _It’s not real,_ Jungkook tried to convince himself.

 

Taehyung said with concern, “...You okay? You’re crying.” He wiped the maknae’s tears away with his fingers.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine now. I’m just so happy to see you.”

 

Puzzled, Taehyung asked, “Did you have a bad dream?”

 

Jungkook nodded. “But it’s over now.” _And I will never let it become reality_. In his mind, he recalled a lyric from one of his favourite songs, ‘Lost Stars.’

 

He felt the song resonate deeply within him. He tried to be strong. He had to be strong in order to be careful, he told himself. Yet despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop his tears. He just wanted to listen to that song and cry until he had no tears left. Taehyung shushed him, “Hey, hey. Don’t cry. You didn’t even drink that much water yesterday. If you cry any more, you’ll squeeze out all the poor water from your body!” When Jungkook’s tears showed no sign of stoppage, Taehyung said, “Hey, you know what? I’ll sing you a song. That always makes you feel better.”

 

“Okay,” Jungkook sniffled.

 

Taehyung cleared his throat. He began. Jungkook froze as he recognized the melody of 'Lost Stars' right away. He didn’t know what to think. Sometimes, the near-telepathic level at which Taehyung read him was so accurate it was scary. 

 

As he listened, Jungkook thought sadly, “I suppose there will come a time when you become the lamb and I the hunter. When that happens, you have to run. Run far away from me, so that I can never see you again. So that I can’t hurt you.” He wondered who Taehyung and he even were. _Two people whose fates were never truly meant to be? He would be better off without me. It would be selfish to stay,_  Jungkook thought, dejected. When he had read the translation of the lyrics for the first time, he thought it was romantic, the idea of two different individuals being able to approach one another, even when their very nature itself opposed their union. Now, he wondered if it was nothing more than a hopeless fantasy. “In the end, the lion probably ended up killing the deer anyway,” Jungkook thought bitterly as he nestled closer into Taehyung’s chest. With that, he fell asleep to Taehyung’s beautiful husky voice.

 

\---

 

The next morning, Jungkook woke up extra early. He cooked eggs and mixed them in with rice, using sesame oil and salt for seasoning. Despite knowing that what happened with Yoongi in his dream was just part of his nightmare, he felt he needed further affirmation that it had not been real.

 

“Mmm, what’s this smell?”

 

Jungkook looked up. Sure enough, it was Yoongi _._ His face automatically brightened at the sight of his hyung. He knew he would be the first one to wake up to the smell of his cooking.

 

“I’m making eggs and rice! Are you hungry?”

 

Yoongi said, “Of course, I’m always down for food. But wow, I was fully expecting Jin hyung to be down here. I almost fell down the stairs when I saw that it was you. Jeon Jungkook, cooking breakfast? Did the sun rise in the west today?”

 

Jungkook pouted at his hyung’s teasing. “Hey, I’m not that bad. I’m better than Taetae hyung, at least.”

 

“Right, yes.” Yoongi nodded repeatedly in an exaggerated motion, closing his eyes. “Of course, that’s not something to boast about… his cooking isn’t exactly something a person should eat.”

 

Jungkook chuckled. “Okay, I’m done making yours now.” He plopped Yoongi’s plate down onto his place mat.

 

Yoongi looked at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna eat?”

 

“Oh, I already did,” lied Jungkook. He hated lying, but he knew it was a necessary precaution to take for the time being. “Come on hyung, you didn’t actually think I would wait for you to break out of your beauty slumber and come all the way down, right?”

 

“Oh, you little-” Yoongi reached over to flick Jungkook on the forehead. Jungkook closed his eyes, mouth stretching into a happy grin.

 

“So…” Jungkook started with a mischievous grin. “How are things going with Namjoonie hyung these days?”

 

Yoongi tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t keep his smile in for long. Jungkook smiled at that. He loved the fond smile that lit up his Yoongi hyung’s features when someone so much as mentioned the Bangtan leader.

 

“Well, I mean, we talk…”

 

“About what?” Jungkook grinned.

 

“Just this and that.”

 

Jungkook said, “Wait, hyung, you didn’t take my advice after all, did you? That’s so disappointing.”

 

Yoongi opened his mouth to defend himself, paused, then closed his mouth again. Jungkook’s smile widened. “Just as I thought.”

 

Yoongi rolled his eyes, then said, “Well, you know how busy we are as a group for finishing up ‘Dope’ promotions and I’m working on my new mixtape right now as well. You know, Namjoonie is really busy right now too, even more than we are, since he’s the leader and he’s also working on a lot of composing and lyric writing on top of that lately. And so maybe when we’re both less busy…” he trailed off.

 

Jungkook said, “Wow… Hyung, you know, with the time you spent saying that, you could have confessed to him at least twice.”

 

“Well, in due time, I-”

 

“Hyung, you can do it, you know. Don’t be scared. You’re cool, how could he not like you?”

 

“Hey, don’t patronize me,” Yoongi snapped playfully. “Besides, I already know how great I am.” Jungkook laughed.

 

“Ah, with you and Taehyung, it just seemed to happen so naturally.”

 

“Whoa now, what do you mean naturally?” Jungkook asked, pretending to be incredulous.

 

“Well, you guys never seemed awkward and you just seemed to just gradually come together.”

 

Jungkook smiled softly as he thought back to the beginning of their relationship. “I suppose... you could put it that way. The trick is to really open up to each other first.”

 

\---

 

_Three years ago_

 

Jungkook lay in bed, motionless, his eyes open but staring at nothing in particular. It was that day. His older brother had died five years ago today. He wanted nothing more than to dissolve into his bed and stay like that forever. He wanted to wallow in his sadness like that, just indulge in the haunting memories of his past until he felt as if he had sufficiently tortured himself. After all, that’s what he deserved.

 

“Hey, Kookie? You up?” chirped Taehyung in a cheerful voice from downstairs.

 

Taehyung’s voice brought him out of his nightmarish thoughts. He always had a way of doing that. Jungkook rushed to compose himself and act as if he were sleeping. He heard the older boy make his way up the stairs.

 

“Hey, Jungkook!” Taehyung called once he reached the maknae’s room. “I know you’re not sleeping, so open your eyes!”

 

Jungkook inwardly groaned. Why did the guy have to know him so well?He opened his eyes slowly. “Hey,” he said unenthusiastically.

 

Taehyung said, “Hey, I heard we get a short break after practice today! Wanna go out and get something to eat with me and the other trainees?”

 

Jungkook hesitated, not wanting to put a damper on the other boy’s excitement. “I don’t really feel like it today, hyung. I’m sorry… but thanks for asking.”

 

Taehyung paused for a second and just peered into Jungkook’s face for a few seconds. The younger boy felt his cheeks flush. He was almost certain they were bright pink. “What?” he asked.

 

“I know just what you need,” said Taehyung, determined. He took Jungkook by the hand and dragged him outside.

 

“No, I’m perfectly fine here-” Jungkook protested.

 

Unyielding, Taehyung shook his head. “Just follow me, alright?” The older boy scrunched his face up into his signature smile. Jungkook’s felt his heart flutter, his protests caught in his throat.

 

“O-okay then,” he said. “But won’t we get in trouble if we don’t get back in time for practice?”

 

The older boy gave an easy smile. “Then we won’t be late!”

 

“Sure we won’t,” muttered Jungkook.

 

\---

 

Taehyung had taken the younger boy to a clearing filled with tall trees and greenery. The centre was calm, hugged by tall evergreens on the edges. Warm golden sunlight poured in from between the trees, creating an almost ethereally beautiful sight to behold. The forest appeared to have seen some sort of destruction in the past - the short grasses in the centre were clear evidence of that. _This place must have been a forest full of trees at one point_ , Jungkook thought to himself. However, the forest was now growing back bravely. Jungkook saw dragonflies and butterflies flitting by. Perhaps now with the rebirth of the forest, different organisms had come to inhabit the space. New life. 

 

  _Where did he even find this place?_ Jungkook thought, his eyes wide open in wonder.

 

“So, what do you think?” asked Taehyung, wearing his trademark box smile.

 

“Wow, it’s honestly breathtaking,” Jungkook marveled. He felt as if his worries and haunting memories were nothing in comparison to the vast peacefulness of this green expanse. Everything seemed to melt away around him, opening up in the natural way that a flower bud would blossom. He stood like that in awe, until tears started welling up in his eyes.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Taehyung asked.

 

“Nothing,” Jungkook said, wiping away his tears. “I just feel so free here. And I'm really grateful that you brought me here. Thank you, hyung. I think I really needed this.”

 

Taehyung put a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. “Anytime! You just looked like you needed some air, and I knew this place would be perfect for that. You know… if there’s anything you want to tell me, you can. I’m a good listener.”

 

Jungkook sighed. He had never shared this with anyone, but Taehyung had a way of making him want to open up. There were so many emotions bottled up inside him, and in the safety of the field, to one of the only people he felt he trusted, the urge to let it out was overwhelming. He bit his lip. “To be honest… today was the day my brother passed away… It was months after my parents died, and my brother was the only person I had left. We relied on each other to cling to the little sanity we had left. But there was an accident and he was hit by a car. They said it was a hit and run.” He looked down. “It just always brings back bad memories and I just… I don’t know what to do with myself on those days. I feel so… empty, like there’s nothing inside of me.” He fidgeted with his fingers nervously at exposing his vulnerability. Especially after losing his family, it had always been a challenge for him to bring his true self to the surface. He felt that it was the last thing he could guard from the world that had taken away his parents, his brother. The least he could do now was protect himself from it. But with Taehyung, he didn’t feel any threat to guard against.

 

Jungkook finally plucked up the courage to look up into Taehyung’s eyes. They were filled with such sympathy. Jungkook was surprised at the sincerity. “I’m so sorry,” Taehyung said gently, his eyes filled with a depth of understanding that couldn’t be put into words. “It must have been really tough.” He squeezed Jungkook’s shoulder. “Were you guys close?”

 

Jungkook paused to consider the question. “That’s actually hard to say… we had a complicated relationship… He was four years older than me, and our parents were really hard on him. I suppose it was because they were new at parenting, and didn’t know what to expect. He got hit a lot whenever he made even the smallest mistakes and they had unrealistically high expectations for him…" He paused to swallow the lump in his throat that had formed from bringing back old memories. "By the time they had me, they had a lot more experience, and learned from their mistakes from raising my brother. After a while, I realized my brother was really bitter about the way they treated me, compared to how he was treated. When they thought I was asleep, I heard him fight with them, about how they always called me ‘the prince of the family’ while he was treated as the black sheep. And sometimes he bullied me for it, letting his anger out on me. I guess I was an easy target.” 

 

The younger boy’s voice broke, “It hurt, and I was confused because I didn't do anything bad to him. But then… there were times when he would be a really good brother to me… like whenever I got really sick, he would be genuinely concerned and stay up all night to make me feel better. I really loved him, but it was complicated.” He choked back tears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go on and on like that...”

 

Taehyung reassured him, “No, not at all.” He paused before continuing, “That must have been really hard, for both you and your brother… Do you maybe want to go and visit him later? … I’ve lost brothers too, and I find it helps to go and talk to them once in a while… We don’t have to go if you don’t want to though, of course! It’s up to you,” he said quickly.

 

“You’ve lost brothers too?” Jungkook turned to face the older boy, his face full of empathy. _And brothers? Plural? How does he stay sane?_

 

“Yeah,” Taehyung said quietly. “With my younger brother, Taejoon… it was a long time ago. He was a child when he was attacked by a vampire. I found him, sucked dry of his blood and all mangled up. I should have protected him, as his hyung. But I couldn’t… I failed him.” The older boy’s voice quivered with emotion.

 

Drawing in a shaky breath, he continued, “And then with my hyung… his name was Taeseok and he was my role model in every way. He was the best hyung you could ask for, and he was incredible at _everything_. He taught me to ride the bicycle, he would always let me talk to him about my day even when he was busy… he seemed to lead such a fulfilling life, all put together and everything...” Taehyung stopped to compose himself, but in the dim light, Jungkook could see the tear rolling down his cheek. “Or at least that’s what I thought,” he said bitterly. “He committed suicide when I was 11. He was only 17. I should have seen it, I should have been a better brother to him. He helped me all the time, he gave me _so_ much, but I couldn’t even give back a quarter of that.” The older boy’s eyes stung with tears.

 

As Jungkook took in his hyung’s words, he felt moisture streak down his own face. “Don’t blame yourself for that, hyung. Your brothers wouldn’t want that either. Sometimes you can’t protect the people you love, no matter how hard you try… and it’s _so unbelievably_ unfair, but that’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself,” he pleaded.

 

Taehyung tried to smile. “You don’t blame yourself either, alright Kookie?”

 

Jungkook nodded. There was a pause, as neither knew what to say next. Taehyung broke the silence, striving to lighten the mood, “Wow! Sorry… I’m surprised at myself. I usually don’t like telling people, but with you, I felt like… you would understand somehow.” He paused to bite his lip, then grew serious. “You know, it was really good talking to you about all this, Kookie.”

 

“Me too, hyung. Thank you for listening to my story, and I hope you can forgive yourself… If you ever want to talk to someone, I’ll always be here,” Jungkook said in a small but sincere voice.

 

Taehyung gave him a small grin, “Just you and me against the world, yeah?”

 

Jungkook smiled. There was something about that statement that made him feel at ease. It was the first time he felt like he had found a person to whom he could fully open up. There was Yoongi, but he felt like he burdened him too much whenever he spoke to him about his troubles because his hyung wasn’t the type to share his pain with others. Instead, he would lash out in anger. Jungkook sometimes wished his hyung would let people help him- he thought it would be good for him, but he didn’t want to push the older boy. With Taehyung on the other hand, they were mutually comfortable with opening up, and he felt safe sharing even his most private struggles. 


	5. Deja vu

Jungkook stood on stage clad in his police officer costume, paired with his signature smirk. On the surface, he appeared completely in control, his performance polished to perfection. But in reality, it was harder to focus than usual. _God, why is the sun so bright?_ He felt blinded. Nonetheless, he was a professional. He wasn’t going to let small annoyances like that diminish his performance.

 

As Yoongi did his rap and they ran around him in circles, Jungkook started to feel dizzy. He widened his eyes in determination, striving to focus harder and push through it. The song felt like it was going on forever. Finally, they reached Namjoon’s rap. Then Taehyung’s part. When the chorus came on again, he willed himself to keep his smile on. He was dancing in the center, and he was determined not to mess it up. If he did, it would be caught on camera, for people to view and spread all over the internet.

 

As Jimin sang his part, Jungkook felt the edges of his vision grow blurry. Still, he pushed himself harder. _His part now._ Despite his efforts, he struggled to reach the high note.

 

_Almost over now._

 

Still maintaining a charming smile, Jungkook struck his ending pose, using his fingers as a gun to aim hearts at the audience.

 

Now that the performance had ended, he felt the pressure in his chest lift, and dots started dancing in his vision. He swayed for a moment and the next thing he knew, the ground rushed up to meet him.

 

\---

 

“Jungkook? Hey, Jungkook!” Yoongi’s voice was urgent. It was laced with such concern that Jungkook felt guilty. He stirred slowly and opened his eyes. They were backstage. His hyungs stood over him, each looking worried and uneasy. There was a small medical team trying to get them to move back so they could help him.

 

He groaned. “Hey guys,” he murmured.

 

Taehyung said anxiously, “We were so worried about you! Jungkook, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

 

“No, that’s fine. I’m okay,” Jungkook reassured him. His throat felt parched. He noted with dismay that no amount of water would quench this type of thirst. He needed blood. _The performance!_ he thought, leaping to his feet. He had gotten up too fast, and he saw spots in his vision.

 

“Hey, not too fast.” Yoongi caught him before he fell backwards.

 

“What happened to the performance?” Jungkook asked hoarsely.

 

“After you fainted, you wouldn’t wake up, so the medical team carried you here.”

 

“No,” Jungkook shook his head. “I mean, did it end okay? Or did I ruin everything?” He bit his lip and looked down at his feet.

 

Jimin was quick to reassure him. “It ended fine. You were perfect, don’t worry.” He patted his back gently.

 

\---

 

After Jungkook had his check-up, it was deemed that he had fainted due to a drop in blood pressure, which had reduced circulation to his brain. They ruled it as a result of malnutrition.

 

“Jungkook, when was the last time you ate?” Seokjin asked, furrowing his brows.

 

“A while ago. I wasn’t feeling hungry, so I must have forgotten…”

 

“Just wait until we get home, okay? I’ll fix you something good to eat.”

 

Jungkook tried to protest, but his hyung insisted.

 

\---

 

As soon as Jungkook got to the dorms, he pulled out his phone for a selfie. He smiled as brightly as he could and made a V sign with his fingers. He checked the photo. Unsatisfied, he snapped a few more. Finally, he decided on the best one and uploaded it on their joint twitter account, with the caption, “Look everyone! I’m perfectly fine. Sorry for causing you worry. #Jungkook.”

 

He fiddled with his phone for a while, checking the replies on his tweet. He read variations of “Feel better soon, oppa!” or “I love you! Please take care of your health!” He smiled, resting his head back. He was fortunate to have fans who had his back even when he felt like he was stretched thin. Exhausted, he drifted off to sleep within minutes.

 

“Jungkook!” Seokjin called. “Your dinner’s ready!” When he heard no reply, he sent a nearby Namjoon to wake the maknae.

 

“Hey, Jungkook,” the leader nudged him softly. “Wake up, dinner’s ready.”

 

“Hmm?” Jungkook slowly stirred, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. To his left, he found Taehyung sleeping next to him on the couch, curled up into a ball. The younger boy smiled, amused. His hyung had developed a habit of sleeping beside him whenever Jungkook was sick or hurt. He had joked that his mighty presence itself was enough to cure all sickness.

 

Smiling to himself, Jungkook got up and followed Namjoon to the kitchen. The smell was surprisingly good. Ever since the night of his accident, food didn’t smell appetizing anymore, but this was different.

 

“Wow, Jin hyung! It smells delicious!” he commented.

 

Seokjin grinned. “Yeah, of course it does. I made it.” He made a shooing motion at Namjoon, who was asking for a portion. “You're not the one who's sick. I only made enough for Kookie. I’ll make something else for you, so just be patient and grab me an onion, will you?”

 

Jungkook looked on with amusement as his hyung gave a disappointed “Yes, hyung” and left to fetch Jin his onion. Smiling, Jungkook thanked his hyung for the meal and plopped down in his seat. The culinary concoction appeared to be a soup made of potatoes, leeks, and peas, with a garnish of parsley. He could smell thyme and sage. Cautiously, he picked up his spoon. He wondered if it would taste like sandpaper just like everything else. He hesitated for a second, but felt guilty when he saw Seokjin watching him in anticipation. He filled his spoon with a generous amount of soup, and put it into his mouth.

 

His eyes opened wide in amazement. “Hyung! It tastes amazing, how do you cook such good food?” At that moment, he was convinced that it was the most delicious thing he had ever had. He eagerly reached in for more. 

 

Laughing, Seokjin replied, “With this face, how could my food dare to taste bad?”

 

With a snort, Jungkook said, “No, but really, did you do something different with this? I feel so much better after eating this!”

 

“I just made the consistency extra soft so it would be easier to eat for when you’re not feeling well. I think the potatoes we bought this time were better than usual too. Besides, you haven’t eaten in over a day. Of course you’d feel better!”

 

\---

 

“Kookie, please. Stop, you’re making me dizzy,” Yoongi complained as Jungkook ran around him in circles, seemingly for the hundredth time.

 

There was _so_ much energy in his veins. He tried to stop, but couldn’t keep himself still for long, and his excitement showed no sign of decline.

 

“Taehyung! Get over here and take this boy away,” Yoongi yelled.

 

A moment later, Taehyung hopped over and Jungkook felt his hyung’s arms weave around his waist, wrapping him in a snug backhug. By instinct, his arms responded, folding around his hyung’s hands. His heart felt content and his bright smile reflected his insides.

 

**\---**

 

Jungkook and Taehyung made the trip over to the green expanse that made them feel so at home. Today, the reason for their outing was pure happiness. The sanctuary was the perfect place to pair with their elevated mood.

 

“Hey, Jungkook!” Taehyung called. “Watch me climb this tree! I bet you 5,000 won that you can’t go higher!”

 

An uneasy feeling tugged at Jungkook’s gut. “No, hyung. Don’t!”

 

“What?” Taehyung opened his mouth into a wide grin. “Ay, it won’t do to have such little confidence in yourself, Kookie. At least try before you acknowledge defeat!”  

 

Jungkook’s heart rate sped up as the deja vu kicked in. The panic was already making him hyperventilate. “Hyung, really, come down,” he managed between breaths.

 

The older boy heard something was wrong and immediately grew concerned. “Kookie, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” He climbed down as fast as he could, but just as he jumped down to a particularly thin branch, he slipped on the smooth bark and fell. _Thud._

 

 _No, this can't be happening._ Jungkook felt helpless, as if he was trapped within a preordained fate. Taehyung lay motionless on the ground. “Hyung!” he screamed, trying to stir him awake.

 

“Here we are again,” a voice sneered from behind. Jungkook’s face contorted in rage and pain. He could already picture the man’s face. What kind of sick joke was this?

 

“What is it you want?” Jungkook asked desperately.

 

“For you to come to your senses.”

 

The man sped over to Taehyung’s unmoving figure, biting him in the neck. A trail of red followed and gushed down his hyung’s neck, soaking into his shirt and saturating the air with the metallic scent of blood.

 

“You eat meat, no? This is no different.” The man inhaled deeply before indulging in the liquid as though it were sweet nectar.  

 

“Get away from him,” Jungkook said, enraged. He tried to push him away from Taehyung, but something stopped him.

  

 _Itch._ At the back of his throat, he felt a strange itch as Taehyung’s blood seemed to invite him for a taste. Just _one drop_.

 

 _No. Never._ He shook his head. He turned back to the man. “Please, don’t hurt him,” Jungkook begged.

 

"DRINK!" the man ordered. He took Jungkook by the collar and started dragging him toward Taehyung. 

 

"Please, stop." Jungkook tried his best to resist the man's firm grasp. 

 

When the man showed no notion of stopping, Jungkook grew desperate. “Don’t you have anyone you love? If you did, you wouldn’t be able to do something like this.”

 

“Love?” the man narrowed his eyes. “What is that?” he muttered. “Feed it to the dogs.”

 

“That’s what I thought,” Jungkook bit back angrily. “You don’t know how to love properly. If you did, you wouldn’t use these low methods, even if there was a goal you had to achieve no matter what.”

 

 _Itch._ Jungkook tried his best to take his mind off the smell, but it was so alluring.

 

The man’s face turned cold and he revealed a wooden stake hidden in his coat pocket. He threw it at Taehyung, aiming to pierce his stomach. Adrenaline coursing through him, Jungkook leapt and caught it in his hands before it could touch Taehyung.

 

_Itch. Itch. Itch._

 

He didn't know how long he could keep up his resistance. Then, an idea struck him. Jungkook stared at the wooden stake in his hand, then at the man, then back at the weapon. He took a deep breath, rolling it over in his hands, before plunging it into his own abdomen. His knees buckled as he fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Good, the pain was overpowering enough to distract from the smell of Taehyung’s blood.

 

“ _What_ are you doing?” the man shouted, caught off guard.

 

With hate lending him the strength to look up, Jungkook shot the man a defiant smirk. Just for good measure, he thrust the stake back out, and stabbed himself again, obliterating even the smallest possibility that his hyung’s blood would appeal to him. Now, he felt he wouldn’t have the energy to bite into Taehyung’s neck even if he wanted to. He turned over onto his back, vision going cloudy. Before everything faded to black, he frowned slightly as the man bent over him, looking oddly concerned.

 

\---

 

 _Lavender._ The distinct scent of lavender was filling up the room. Jungkook groaned. He opened his eyes. The stake was lying on the floor, mere feet away. The man must have taken it out. Weird. His stomach still throbbed, even though he noticed most of it had healed - another vampire perk.

 

“Where am I?”

 

Jungkook heard a drained voice reply, “You’re finally awake.” He turned to see the man staring at him, wearing a cautious but otherwise unreadable expression. Jungkook stiffened immediately.

 

“Where’s my hyung? Where is he?” he asked with as much venom as he could muster. He looked around, and started to panic when he couldn’t find Taehyung anywhere.

 

“Relax. Don’t worry, he’s safe,” the man said in a resigned voice.

 

Jungkook looked at the man, eyes darting back and forth as if to decipher some hidden message etched between the lines of the man’s face. “I want to see him. So that I know for sure.”

 

The man sighed and held up his hands as if in surrender. “Fine, fine, you win. We’ll go meet your sleeping beauty now.”

 

Jungkook sucked in a breath. He couldn’t trust this man. Who knew what tricks he had tucked up his sleeve? He trailed behind his lead warily.

 

The man took him along a winding path, down a spiral staircase and into a garden. There, at the center of the enclosure, upon a bed of flowers, lay Taehyung.

 

“Hyung!” Jungkook ran toward him. He checked his pulse.  Taehyung seemed to be fine, albeit unconscious. Jungkook rubbed his hands against each other restlessly. “Why won’t he wake up?”

 

Sardonic, the man said, “I mean, I did take some blood from his neck. Oh well, it’ll be a while before he wakes up, but he should be okay. I didn’t take enough for him to die or anything.”

 

Jungkook glared at him. “Tell me how I can make him better.”

 

The man looked displeased at the order, but decided to accept anyway. “Well, you could always give him some of your blood. Vampire blood is kind of a super-healing tonic of sorts to humans.”

 

At that, without a moment’s hesitation, the younger boy bit into his wrist and put it to his hyung’s lips. _Please drink_ , he begged. _And wake up._

 

Sure enough, Taehyung sputtered back to consciousness, coughing as he choke-drank the blood. Once he regained most of his strength back, his eyes widened and he tried to swat Jungkook’s arm away.

 

Relieved, Jungkook cried, “Hyung!” He tried to embrace Taehyung, but was surprised when his advances were met by a flinch. His hyung looked away, down at the ground. Jungkook could see him nervously fiddling with his fingers.

 

 _Fear_? Was that what he detected?

 

“Hyung… you know I would never, I would _never_ -”

 

_Hurt you._

 

The words died in his throat, as he realized how unreliable that promise was. Just because he hadn’t hurt him this time, what certainty was there that he wouldn’t ever do it in the future? Besides, his hyung had just been attacked by a vampire. Now that he knew Jungkook was one too, what would he be feeling? Betrayal? Hurt? Uneasiness? 

 

Taehyung looked up to meet Jungkook’s eye for a second, guilt and conflict filling his gaze. “I know, Jungkook. I know.”

 

 _But it doesn’t change what you are._ Jungkook got that. He took a deep breath and stepped back, a sign to show his hyung he would give him some space. “Just let me take you back to the dorms,” he pleaded. A nod.

 

The man cut in, “Hey, I never said anything about letting you two go.”

 

Jungkook turned on him. He was tired of this. “Then what are you planning to do with us?”

 

“Hm, I don’t know, would it be fun if I conducted experiments on you two? I have some good ideas, but I’m always open to new suggestions.”

 

“ _Why_ are you trying to ruin my life?” Jungkook shouted as he lunged at the man, throwing him against the back end of the garden, far away from Taehyung. He pinned the man against the fence and held him by the collar.

 

“Ruin it? I’m trying to save it,” the man hissed, equally furious.

 

“Huh? What? What is that supposed to mean?” asked Jungkook, surprised.

 

“That _dream_ you had? Yeah, not a coincidence. I went into your mind and planted that dream.”

 

Confused, Jungkook asked, “Why? Why would you?”

 

The man stared at Jungkook for a long second before telling him, “So when a human transitions into a vampire, the last step that needs to happen to complete the transition is for them to drink human blood. Otherwise, they weaken and die. Which was what was happening to you. So I sent the dream as a little motivation gift for you. Which of course, you didn’t take. Even now that you’ve become a full vampire, you still have a lot to learn if you want to survive.”

 

“Wait what? I’m a full vampire? I thought I was only-”

 

“Half? Did you think you had to drink directly from someone to complete the transition? All you need is one drop of human blood.”

 

“But I didn’t.”

 

“You clearly did. How you got that blood is something you should know.”

 

“Even if that- even if all of this is true… _why_ would you help me?”

 

“You obviously don’t know what’s best for you, so I’m making your decisions for you.”

 

“Who are you to do that? Why would you care. Just let me be. Whatever I do, that’s not your problem.”

 

“ _Maybe it is!_ ” the man bellowed. Jungkook was startled by the man’s sudden outburst. He had never seen him show so much emotion.

 

The man continued, “Maybe it is my problem. Maybe I spent the majority of my life alone and in hell, just so I could ensure a decent life for the one person I actually love. How do you think I felt, to see those efforts wasted? And what did you say to me before? That I did not know how to love properly? That if I truly loved someone, I would do it differently? What do _you_ know about me to judge? You - Jeon Jungkook, do you know what it is to claw so desperately for survival, you can feel yourself losing parts of yourself in the process? Yet in the moment, not caring because that’s not a priority? Or more importantly, to be someone’s pathetic bitch for years, doing things that made me _hate_ myself, just to protect the one person who is the sole reason I haven’t thrown everything away yet? And then finding out that that reason is stupid, pathetic, and weak. Jeon Jungkook, I really hoped you’d be stronger.”

 

 _What the hell was he saying?_ Knitting his eyebrows together in confusion, Jungkook said, “That sounds terrible and all, but … what- why exactly am I relevant in all this? Who the hell are you?”

 

“Jungsoo. I’m Jeon Jungsoo.” 


	6. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungkook struggles to accept the man standing before him. He is shaken up when Jungsoo reveals uncomfortable truths about the past.

“What are you talking about? My brother’s dead,” Jungkook said. _What was the man playing at?_ How dare someone like him even bring his brother’s name to his lips.

 

The man looked at him for a second, softening. He then reached over with a finger and touched Jungkook on the forehead.

 

Jungkook winced as memories bombarded his mind. He felt as though he was speeding through the stars at the speed of light.

 

_He saw his own 10-year-old self lying down on a hospital bed, only it was through the eyes of someone else. His brother._

 

_He heard Jungsoo say in a choked up voice, “If I don’t do this, then they’ll come after you. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not the day after, but someday they will. They’ll use you as leverage against me and threaten you. Or worse. And I can’t watch that happen. You’ll understand, right?”_

 

_He saw his own eyes fill with fear. “Hyung, what are you going to do? Are you going away somewhere? Don’t go,” he begged. The lens started alternating between his brother's and his own. He saw his brother’s face twist in pain for a second, before he composed himself. He looked deep into Jungkook’s eyes, holding an intense gaze. “Kookie, when I leave, you will think that I died. You will believe I died in a car accident a few months after the death of our parents. It was a hit and run. They couldn’t find the perpetrator and so they ended up closing the case. I will remain that hyung who couldn’t even treat his own brother properly, and instead regarded you with jealousy. But you won’t have to deal with any of that anymore now.” Jungkook saw his younger self look on with dazed eyes, as though hypnotized. “Now sleep,” Jungsoo said. Little Jungkook blinked his eyes sleepily a few times, before nodding off._

 

_Jungsoo sighed regretfully. He said softly, “I know I’ve never been a great brother to you, but I want to at least do one thing right by you. Farewell, brother.”_

 

_His brother reached over to stroke Jungkook’s hair for a few seconds. He ruffled his bangs a little, then reluctantly stood up to leave the room._

 

“Wh-what was that?” Jungkook asked, shaken up.

 

“I’m giving you your memories back. The ones I took all those years ago. They’re yours after all. And showing you some of mine.”

 

Jungkook scoffed. “People can’t take away memories like that.” He didn’t believe in hypnotism. Besides, weren’t hypnotists supposed to move a clock back and forth or something?

 

“In case it wasn’t clear already, I’m a vampire. Vampires have the ability to practice mind compulsion. That includes taking away memories and controlling the actions of humans. Maybe you’ve experienced something like that yourself already. Have you ever noticed people around you following your words uncharacteristically well lately?”

 

Jungkook narrowed his eyes. It was a lot to take in. But come to think of it…

 

Taehyung. Back when he had insisted on taking Jungkook to the hospital to get a proper check-up, he had backed down so easily after he had begged him not to make him go. _No, it couldn’t be. It had to be a coincidence._ Right?

 

He shook his head in denial. “No, you’re not my brother. It doesn’t add up. I don’t believe you or these so-called memories.” He pointed out, “You got into my head before, so who’s to say these are even real memories? You could just as easily have manipulated them.”

 

The man sighed. “I’ve known you basically your whole life, Jungkook. I was there when you said your first word. It wasn’t ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ like most other babies. Instead, you said ‘Mine’ when I took your favourite toy.” The man chuckled as he recalled the memory. Jungkook’s eyes glistened. He had heard this story many times from his parents and he had cherished it privately, never sharing it with anyone else.

 

But Jungkook knew he had to keep his guard up. “How do I know this isn’t one of your mind tricks? If mind-reading is in the vampire tool kit, all this could be a lie. I don’t trust you.”

 

The man smiled ruefully. He started to protest, "It doesn't work on other vampires-" before giving up. He knew Jungkook wasn't going to be satisfied with that. After some thought, he said, “My arm, Jungkook.” He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a distinct birthmark in the shape of a bird.

 

Jungkook’s eyes widened. _The bird._ As a child, he remembered constantly asking his brother to show him the birthmark, holding fast onto his legs with his little hands and not letting him go until he obliged. He felt like he had been hit by a train. He felt his fists ball up and his eyes water as he wanted more than anything to deny what the man was saying, but his gut told him the man was telling the truth.

 

“I’m your brother,” the man held out his hands matter-of-factly.

 

Even as his subconscious knew the man was telling the truth, Jungkook insisted stubbornly, “My brother’s not a vampire. Never was. There’s no way you could be him. Do you know how good of a person he was? He had his flaws - he _was_ human after all, but he was a good person.”

 

“I have always. Always. Been a vampire,” the man enunciated carefully, face hardening a little. His tone turned bitter yet remained cold and detached somehow. “Of course, it makes sense you never knew. Our parents were so eager to hide that from the world the moment they found out. Even from you. I suppose they thought you were too young to be exposed to such horror. Having a vampire for a son, how terrible!” The man’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Looking at Jungkook from the corner of his eye, he added, “And you know, the real reason why they treated me differently from you wasn’t that I was the older sibling and they had no parenting experience or whatever - the way you think of it. They never said it outright in front of you or anyone else, of course. The subject was a taboo to them after all. They had appearances to keep up.” He gave a dry laugh. “When they saw me, all they ever really saw was a monster - you know, the kind you see on the news, murdering innocent people. Nothing I did was ever enough to compensate for my nature. And when they were killed, they took away even the slim chance that they would ever see me as anything more.”

 

Frowning, Jungkook shook his head. It was all so wrong. How could things he had been so sure of his entire life, have been a lie?

 

Jungkook took in a shaky breath. He decided to push aside the vampire topic for now. It was confusing enough even without that. “...If you really are Jungsoo hyung, then… why did you leave me like that back then?” he asked, voice breaking.

 

“I did what I thought was best, for your protection.”

 

“I didn’t need protection. What I needed was you! I was ten! Mom and Dad died and all I had was you. All we had was each other. How could that have been for the best?”

 

“Kook…”

 

“Don’t call me that! You can’t just come into my life after voluntarily leaving it and just expect me to accept you back with open arms.” He turned his face away, not wanting to show that his eyes were stinging with tears.

 

“Jungkook. Just hear me out.”

 

“ _I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD ALL THESE YEARS, HYUNG.”_ The emotions he had piled up over the years came flooding out like a dam.

 

Jungsoo’s forehead creased slightly. “I’m sorry.”

 

A tear trickled down Jungkook’s cheek. “Do you have any idea how many times I visited your grave?”

 

“Forty-seven. Forty-seven times in the last eight years. For the first year, you could hardly bring yourself to go, but with time, you visited more often.”

 

Jungkook felt his throat close up. He blinked several times, fast.

 

“That’s right, I checked up on you from time to time. I needed to confirm for myself that you were at least safe. Otherwise there would have been no point of me leaving,” Jungsoo said. “Thank you though, for making it so easy for me to keep tabs on you. Following a celebrity is much easier than hiring a professional to hunt you down.”

 

Jungkook closed his eyes. “Just tell me one thing. Why didn’t you take me with you when you left? Did you not think I was strong enough? What was it? You at least owe me your best excuse,” he said in as firm a voice as he could muster.

 

Jungsoo replied, “Fine. By that time, the leader of a vampire clan had already found out about me and offered me a position in his clan. I rejected his offer at first, but after our parents died, he showed me evidence that a rival clan had staged the car accident that killed our parents. I was hungry for revenge, but I was only fourteen at the time. Alone, what power did I have? So I joined them. I would have taken you along too, but the clan strictly said only vampires were welcome. And I wasn’t about to turn you into a vampire just to take you along. I’ve lived as one - I know what that entails. The leader said that as long as I kept you human, I would have to leave you behind in my past in order for you to be kept safe. I would have to be dead to you. Understandable. He’s a paranoid man heading a large group. He didn’t want my allegiance to waver. As long as I’m under him, I work only for him. If I didn’t leave you behind, you would have only been a distraction- and a human one at that. He doesn’t tolerate those.”

 

 _So you chose revenge over me._ Hoarsely, Jungkook asked, “Then what changed? Why did you turn me into a vampire? Why now?”

 

“Well, when I was younger, I was a fool. I thought it would be in your best interest to preserve your humanity. I thought then that living as a vampire would only be torment anyway. But I’ve since realized your survival is what’s most important. Humanity… what is a luxury like that when you have to fight every day just to survive. Something like that can be found later anyway.”

 

“...Then why haven’t you found yours?” Jungkook looked him straight in the eye.  Jungsoo narrowed his eyes, but gave no answer.

 

Taking in a deep breath, Jungkook closed his eyes. When he spoke again, he was quiet. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Just let me go.” With that, he walked over to Taehyung, helped him up, and left.

 

Jungsoo made no move to stop them. He sighed. The cold night wind blowing around him, he stood still as he allowed the wind to ruffle his hair. He brought his hand to the bridge of his nose and frowned. He didn't know what he had been expecting when he saw Jungkook again. Talking to him again, it had felt the same as ever. He was reminded of the envy, the hate, so cruelly and forcefully directed at his younger brother, yet all that would dissolve instantly if the younger boy so much as came down with a fever. Jungkook deserved better; he knew that. But he also knew it just wasn't in his nature to be what Jungkook deserved. 

 

\---

 

“Where have you two been?” Seokjin asked when Jungkook and Taehyung returned.

 

Jungkook said, “I’m sorry, hyung. We were just hanging out at the forest we like going to. I didn’t realize it got so late.”

 

Seokjin pursed his lips and said, “That’s fine, but just don’t stay out too late again. Jungkook, it hasn’t been long since you got attacked... and I don’t want anything like that to happen again.”

 

Jungkook nodded. Smiling, he reassured his hyung, “I won’t be late again. Don’t worry, hyung.”

 

That didn’t put Seokjin at ease and instead, he turned to Taehyung, his expression turning to one of concern. “Taehyung… are you okay? You’re looking really pale. Did something happen?”

 

Taehyung waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, I’m just really tired from all the walking.” He pointed at Jungkook and said, “This one made me walk for miles in the cold today. I think I might be getting sick.” His pouting seemed to be enough to put their eldest hyung at ease that nothing serious had happened.

 

Taehyung said, “I’m gonna go get some sleep now. Good night, Jin hyung,” and made his way over to the room that he and Jungkook shared. Jungkook awkwardly trailed behind him. He had never found it regrettable that Taehyung was his roommate, but today, he wished he could trade spots with anyone else. As soon as they were out of their eldest hyung’s sight, he saw his hyung tense up. The discomfort coming from the older boy was so evident that Jungkook himself felt sorry that he had to be in the same room and put Taehyung even more on edge. He knew he had to give his hyung some space, so he decided he would sleep on the living room couch tonight. He grabbed his pillow from the bed and pulled out a spare blanket from the closet.  “Goodnight, hyung,” he said to the other boy. He heard a stiff “Goodnight” before he closed the door shut. 

 

Once he got to the living room, he threw the pillow and blanket on the couch. He sighed deeply and plopped himself down. He hated that things had turned out this way. He couldn’t help being a vampire, but his hyung’s shock and discomfort at realizing the fact was completely understandable. He wished things could go back to normal between them, but at the same time, another part of him wondered if this was actually for the better. After all, it was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? He would have to leave his hyung someday. Today, Taehyung had had a brush with death, and it was all Jungkook’s fault. Resignedly, he thought to himself, “The longer I stay with him, the more danger he’ll be in.”

 

 _None of this would have happened if it weren’t for Jungsoo hyung,_ he thought bitterly. Jungkook wondered what could have happened to his brother in the eight years he had spent missing him. The Jungsoo hyung he knew had a loving, caring side, even as he bullied him from time to time in his personal conflict. But this man, this _stranger_ , had no idea what love was. _He’s messed up,_ Jungkook decided. How blind could his brother be that he managed to delude himself into thinking he had done all this for Jungkook?

 

Feeling suffocated, he decided to get some fresh air. Grabbing his black leather jacket, he rushed outside. He took a deep breath and shivered as cold air rushed into his lungs. He felt a few stray raindrops land on his face.

 

“Don’t kid me,” Jungkook muttered. “You did this for revenge. Not for me.” The only response the night had to offer was the wind, howling back at him.


	7. Thirst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungkook makes a mistake he deeply regrets, and is surprised when help comes from an unexpected source.

Thirst. He _had_ to feed.

  
Jungkook had been resisting blood for the past few weeks. On some days, he convinced himself he wasn’t really a vampire- he was just sick with the flu and once it had passed, he would be back to his normal self. But nights were harder to bear. The urges he had swallowed the whole day would invade his dreams, torturing him with scintillating images of blood. When he awoke, he would feel a parched soreness in his throat. It had been manageable for the first week or so, but as time wore on, it had proved to be much more difficult to endure. Their heavy schedules certainly didn’t help. The only consolation was that at least their exhaustive activities kept him as busy as possible, providing a good distraction.

 

He excused himself for some fresh air. Staying in such close proximity to the others all the time was difficult. The short breaks he took were crucial to his self-control. Putting on a scarf and a winter jacket, he opened the front door. The air outside was cold and fresh. He felt as if he could finally relax. He took a few steps, admiring the snowflakes that fell so delicately. He watched as they found their final places on the ground, on his hair, on his face. Each unique snowflake had its moment in the spotlight, albeit for mere seconds, before they melted away and became no more. As he grew lost in thought, the rusty scent of blood filled his nose. _Hmmm_. Jungkook breathed it in, instantly regretting it the second he did. It seemed to be coming from an alleyway not far from their dorm. He followed the trail, his legs moving without much thought. There was a sharp clarity in what seemed to be the center of his thoughts. There was only one goal in his mind. He felt a fuzziness when it came to all else. As he rounded a corner, he could make out the image of a man. His back was facing Jungkook and he was limping slowly, headphones in. Jungkook edged closer and closer until he was mere inches away. He spied a fresh cut that ran down the length of the man’s neck, as well as a number of bruises on his face. He looked to have been in a bad fight.

 

“Are you okay?” asked Jungkook, concern distracting him.

 

“Yeah, it’s nothing,” the man brushed it off with a rough smile. He proceeded to limp away.

 

“Wait! Do you want me to call the ambulance? Or if you want to make a call, you can use my phone.” Jungkook eyed the man with worry.

 

“Nah, kid. I’m good.” The man smiled again and started going on his way. Right then, a cold breeze swept in, filling the air around Jungkook with the aroma of fresh blood. He shivered, covering his nose with his hands and squeezing his eyes shut, hoping the urge would pass.

 

 _Drip._ Jungkook opened his eyes. He peered down to see drops of crimson colouring the snow. It was a mesmerizing sight. A single-minded focus dominated his mind. He took a deep breath, eager to take in more of the smell. Another sweet mistake. He could hardly even register what he was doing. The next moment, he had pierced his teeth into the man’s neck. He hummed in liberating content. Alarmed, the man yelled out. Before he could scream again, Jungkook covered his mouth. “Please be quiet,” he muttered. He sank his teeth back in. He just needed a little bit more. Then he would let him go. As he drank, he could feel the man’s grip on Jungkook’s shoulder weaken, his resistance crumbling. A voice in the back of his head said, “Let go. Let go, before it’s too late. He’s already in bad shape.”

 

 _It’ll be okay. It’s just one more little sip. I’ll let go soon._ With each swallow, he felt energy pump into his veins. It was euphoric. He hadn’t felt this much strength in weeks.

 

“J-Jungkook?” a voice called from behind. Jungkook didn’t register it as an outside voice, simply just as background noise. He swatted it from his mind like he would a fly.

 

“Jungkook, STOP!” ordered the voice. Jungkook felt himself get pinned against the wall. His attempts to squirm free only earned him a square punch to the jaw. That brought him back to his senses. “Jungkook, listen to me _._ Stop!” the voice shouted again. Jungkook frowned when he realized the voice was very familiar. He tore his gaze away from the man he had attacked to come face to face with the owner of the voice. Seokjin hyung.

 

\---

 

 _I almost killed someone._ Jungkook shook his head madly in denial. It couldn’t possibly be true, yet his hands, stained with red, told a different story. Upon realizing what he had done, he had run far away from Seokjin, sneaking into their bathroom as fast as he could, hiding his blood-stained hands inside the pockets of his hoodie, covering his face under his hood. Now, he had locked himself in. _What did Jin hyung see? And how much? All of it? No… no way… but if he did, what do I do now? Compulsion? Jungsoo hyung mentioned vampires could use that against humans…_ He _had_ to talk to Seokjin first. He looked down at his blood-stained hands. _But not with these hands._ Desperately, he turned on the tap to the hottest setting. Within seconds, he saw steam rise. He frantically rubbed his hands under the water, trying to get rid of the red as fast as possible. He reached for the soap and lathered, spreading the suds all over his hands, all the way up to his elbows, just to be safe. His motions felt clumsy, uneven. Again, he ran his hands under the hot water. He didn’t care that it burned. Rather, it comforted him. Once he finished, he breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly feeling tired, he sank down to the floor, leaning his head back against the bathroom wall.

 

 _When did I turn into someone who was so willing to kill?_ Was it inevitable? Was it just a truth he had to accept that came with vampirism? He hated it so much- everything about being a vampire. When he had debuted as a member of BTS, he had felt like he belonged, like he was a puzzle piece they couldn’t be without. Now, he felt like a limb of the puzzle had been ripped off. A million thoughts darted through his mind. Normally, he would chide himself with a pep talk: “Jeon Jungkook, come on. Even if every other vampire were like that, you would prove to be the exception. Fight against the odds. Even nature, after all, wasn’t always natural. It’s always evolving.” However, today, he couldn’t summon that voice, no matter how hard he tried. Instead, a different voice came to accompany him. It reminded him of a snake in the way that it seemed to hiss. “Jungkook,” it whispered as it slithered its way into his ears and toward his heart. “Don’t try to fight it. Just give it up and accept it for what it is. After all, what’s so bad about it anyway? Some people are even born vampires...like your brother. It _is_ natural. There’s no changing it, so why waste energy trying to resist?”

 

“It _is_ still worth it,” Jungkook retorted, but he could feel his resolve start to break.

 

“It’s a kill-or-be-killed world out there. Always has been. Just look at the everyday company worker. To get to that position, they outcompeted hundreds of others throughout their lives, trying to make it up the ladder. Do you think they pitied the weak? Maybe. But did they let that stop them from climbing up? ...You know that feeling too. When you look at your old trainee friends who couldn’t make it to debut, you feel sad for them, but would you trade your spot with them if you could? No. At the most, you would feel bad, but you would look out for yourself before anyone else. How is this any different?”

 

“A person’s life hangs in the balance here,” Jungkook said with gritted teeth.

 

“Debatable. But you wouldn’t scold a lion for eating a deer.”

 

“Enough,” Jungkook growled. _Ugh, now I’m having whole conversations with myself. I must be going crazy,_ he thought to himself in disgust.

 

“When will this all stop?” he said in despair. He held his head in his hands. He had tried _so_ hard all these weeks, to resist that damn allure of blood, but he had slipped up and now all his effort was for nothing.

 

“I try so… _so_ hard. Do I just not have it in me?” Jungkook’s voice broke. He wanted to say something more, but he couldn’t, as thoughts bombarded his mind and were released as tears and sobs wracking his body.

 

\---

 

After a while, Jungkook heard a knock on the bathroom door. Adrenaline rushed through his system as his eyes darted everywhere, scanning the room for any suspicious traces of blood. He felt slightly relieved when he found none. His mind went on overdrive trying to find the best way to convince Seokjin that what he had seen wasn’t the truth.

 

“Hey, Jungkook, you alright in there?” _Yoongi hyung._

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Jungkook answered, “Yeah…” He aimed for a stable, casual tone, but it sounded more quivery than anything.

 

“Hey, open up, Kookie.” Concern took over Yoongi’s voice.

 

“No, I’m really all good!” Jungkook shouted, stronger this time. 

 

“Jungkook, I know you. Open up.”

 

He sighed in defeat. He decided he would act as normal as possible, clear any suspicions, and then leave to clear his mind. Standing up, he edged to the door and reluctantly unlocked it. The second the door clicked, Yoongi barged in. He came face to face with a startled Jungkook, still red and puffy-eyed. Upon seeing his hyung’s face overcome with worry, Jungkook couldn’t hold it in any longer. He felt a whole new wave of tears come over him, and they spilled over without warning.

 

“Hey, hey.” Yoongi wiped them away gently with his sleeve. “What’s wrong, Kookie?”

 

In between sobs, Jungkook stuttered, “I- I just, hyung, w-why am I such a failure?”

 

Yoongi frowned. “What? What are you talking about? Of course you’re not a failure.”

 

“I-I just keep messing up. And n-no matter how hard I try, it just doesn’t work. I don’t know what to do.”

 

“Hey, Kookie, it’s okay.” Yoongi stepped forward to hold Jungkook, patting the back of the younger boy’s head with his hand comfortingly. He said, “Jungkook, you’ve always been a fighter. Whatever you’re going through right now, you can get through this one too. Failure? When have you ever been one? Never. Listen to me. Never. That’s a word reserved for people who don’t see their own errors and keep going on making even bigger mistakes because they couldn’t fix them. But Jungkook, you’re self-aware and you’ve always been striving for improvement. How can you call that a failure?” Yoongi’s voice was soft.  

 

Jungkook appreciated the sentiment, but it didn’t help when he knew none of the words were true. He knew his hyung wasn’t trying to lie; he simply didn’t know the truth. He felt trapped in guilt as he listened to his hyung give him undeserved defense. To make matters worse, the close proximity to Yoongi’s neck made Jungkook hyperaware of the blood running through his hyung’s jugular. Feeling overwhelmed, he held his breath and pushed himself away from Yoongi. “Sorry, hyung. But I really want to be alone right now. I just… have some things to sort through by myself.” He hoped that would stop Yoongi from pursuing the matter, for now at least. They were friends long enough for him to know that when Jungkook wanted to be alone, giving him space was usually the best thing to do. The younger boy ran to his room as fast as he could. His senses told him Taehyung wasn’t in there. It would be safe.

 

“Jungkook!” he heard Yoongi call.

 

 _Please don’t follow me._ He was relieved when he didn’t hear footsteps. He heard Yoongi sigh and reluctantly leave.

 

When he got to his room, he leapt straight into bed and buried himself under the covers. _What am I supposed to do now?_

 

As he closed his eyes, his brother’s words came echoing back at him, in an almost haunting jeer.

 

 _Even now that you’ve become a full vampire, you still have a lot to learn to survive..._ _You obviously don’t know what’s best for you, so I’m making your decisions for you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who’s been reading this story ♥♥♥ I was always worried it wouldn’t be appealing to people, just because I write a lot of emotional/angsty things since it suits my tastes, but I wasn’t sure if that would be likable to others. But that being said, I also wanted to say constructive criticism is always appreciated - I know how lacking I still am at writing and I would love to improve ^_^ So I sincerely wouldn't mind harsh/direct comments. Anyhow, I hope you are all having a great 2016! May it be a fulfilling year filled with joy, happiness, love, and success in the many endeavours you choose to pursue. I hope you all stay safe and well ♥


	8. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin and Jungkook have a talk. Later, Taehyung has something to say to Jungkook.

Jungkook woke to a tapping noise. Disoriented, his first guess was that it was coming from his bedside table, before realizing that made no sense. He turned to the door. Someone was knocking on it. He hoped that maybe if he stayed quiet enough, they would assume he was asleep and leave.

 

“Jungkook, please open the door.” It was Seokjin. Jungkook’s eyes widened, heart racing. He had to face him, tell him an excuse, a lie, mind compulsion, anything. Anything but the truth. What would his hyung think of him now? He leapt out of bed and made toward the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he paused for a second right before opening it to steel his nerves.

 

“Jin hyung, I can explain everyth-” Jungkook started quickly once he opened the door.

 

Seokjin looked strangely calm. He held up a hand. “There’s no need, Jungkook.”

 

Jungkook felt his heart drop while his mind was reeling in equal parts of confusion and panic. _What was that supposed to mean?_ His hyung must have put together the pieces already, and given up on him. Was he going to tell the others?

 

“Please, hyung. I-”

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Seokjin said, moving forward to wrap Jungkook in a gentle embrace. Jungkook’s eyes widened in shock, unable to make sense of what was happening. He froze, not knowing what to do. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Seokjin pulled away, facing Jungkook. The younger boy couldn’t bring himself to look into the elder’s eyes. Seeing this, Seokjin slowly lowered himself onto his knees so that Jungkook would meet his eyes.

 

“You don’t have to explain anything, Kookie. The truth is… I’m a vampire too.”

 

\---

 

Jungkook squinted at his hyung, trying to read him to see if he could pick up any hint of a joke. “No, you’re not,” Jungkook let out a forced chuckle. There was no way he could be one. Otherwise, surely Jungkook or the other members would have found out by now. Besides, he hadn’t been affected by the bleeding man outside in the alleyway.

 

The older boy gave him an understanding look. “Here, I’ll show you,” Seokjin said gently, giving a quick nip to his own hand. A small pool of blood formed and trickled into the creases of his hand. Jungkook was reminded of the divergence of the veins on a leaf. Seokjin moved to grab a tissue from the dresser and wiped off the blood. Jungkook watched as the skin knit back together within seconds. The older boy’s hand showed no sign of the bite nor any scarring, completely healed.

 

Jungkook fell silent. “Since when?” he finally asked.

 

“Since I was born.”

 

“How-how did you hide it from everyone?”

 

“I have a system that helps me keep a low profile. And I’m used to this lifestyle, so it’s easier for me to live as if I were human.”

 

Jungkook asked, “Did you...know that I was a vampire? From the beginning?”

 

Seokjin paused. “I suspected you were in transition. All the signs were there - you were colder than normal, you looked traumatized that night, and your energy levels were much lower than usual.”

 

Jungkook frowned as he tried to make sense of everything. His eyes widened. “So that night, the soup you gave me! It was you.”

 

The older boy nodded. “I could tell you needed blood, and fast. A few more days and you really could have died.” Seokjin furrowed his brow. “So I just put in a few drops of blood, and disguised the flavour with the other ingredients in the soup.”

 

“Wow.” Jungkook ran a hand through his hair. On one hand, he was immensely relieved he had someone to talk to about all this. On the other, he couldn’t believe he had never known the truth about his hyung. He couldn’t imagine hiding something like that his entire life.

 

“Hyung, I think I’m gonna go crazy,” Jungkook confessed, voice breaking. “All I can think about is blood, and every day, I feel more and more like I don’t belong here. If I ever hurt any of them, I could never forgive myself.”

 

“Kookie, you won’t hurt them. I can help you. Everything is going to be okay.” He wrapped Jungkook up in his arms. “I took care of the guy you attacked. He won’t remember anything, and I’ve healed him with my blood. He’s fine and I know something like that won’t happen again. I will help you get through this.” Seokjin patted his back comfortingly in slow, rhythmic movements.  

 

“Thanks, hyung.” Jungkook managed a small smile. Then he grew curious. He pulled away to face Seokjin. “Hyung, how exactly do you do it? I mean, with the blood and everything.”

 

The older boy said, “I know a hyung. He’s a doctor and he gives me a shipment of blood bags every month. It’s gotten a lot harder to do the exchange now that I’ve debuted, but it’s worked out well enough, mostly.”

 

“Mostly?”

 

“A couple close calls, but it’s all fine now. Kookie, whenever you need to feed, come to me.”

 

“But hyung… what about you?” Jungkook asked. “I don’t want to take yours.” Guilt clouded the younger boy’s face.

 

Seokjin reassured him, “Don’t worry, I already asked for a double batch a few weeks ago, and it’s just arrived today.”

 

Jungkook nodded. “Thanks, hyung,” he said, relieved. “But what about all those patients who need that blood? I feel bad taking from them.”

 

“Don’t worry,” the older boy reassured. “It’s artificial human blood, synthesized and manufactured by a group of vampires. So you wouldn’t be taking it from patients who need it.”

 

“Oh, I see.” Jungkook’s eyes turned wide in awe. “I didn’t know you could make blood like that!”

 

The older boy smiled at him fondly. He said, “I mean, it doesn’t smell the same - smells a bit nasty to be honest, but it does get you all the nutrients you need.”

 

“I see,” Jungkook said, still in awe at taking in the new information.

 

Seokjin paused. “Kookie… I’m sorry it took me so long to help you. I was trying to find the best way to approach you with this. Usually, new vampires tend to be extra sensitive or unpredictable because of how rough the transition is, and I hesitated because I didn’t want to do something that set you off. I’m really sorry. As a hyung, I should have made it so that it wouldn’t have even come to this.”

 

“No- hyung…. don’t feel like that. This isn’t your fault. I’m grateful. You’ve helped me so much already. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened with that guy.” Jungkook shuddered at the thought.

 

The older boy looked down with a remorseful expression. “Kookie… do you know who turned you?” he asked slowly.

 

Jungkook pursed his lips. He felt a strange notion that he didn’t want to out his brother, despite everything that he had done.

 

Seokjin clarified, “I’m just asking because I know more vampires around here than you might think. The doctor I mentioned is actually part of a vampire clan, the biggest one in our country that I know of. There’s a good chance I might know who turned you.”

 

That piqued his curiosity. “I… hyung, would you believe me if I said my brother, who I thought was dead, was actually a vampire?”

 

“Your _brother_ turned you?” Seokjin asked, shocked. “How could your own brother…”

 

Jungkook was quick to reply. “He- he must have had his reasons. There must have been a good explanation.”

 

Seokjin just stared at him silently, brow furrowed in sympathy.

 

“Hyung… do you think it’s possible for a person to change _so_ much?”

 

The older boy chose his words carefully. “I think… that the things that happen in life can make a person so different, they could become almost unrecognizable… but at their core, they’ll always retain some part of their original selves. For better or for worse.”

 

Jungkook nodded. “I hope so,” he murmured. He needed to believe that. After _eight years_ of longing, despite the fact that his brother had basically ruined his life, he still wanted him back in his life. He had lost count of the prayers he had said late at night, that if only his brother could come back to life, he would be so good to him. That it wouldn’t even matter if his brother was harsh or cruel to him, just as long as he was alive. He didn’t know if it was pathetic or natural to feel that way. Maybe both.

 

\---

 

After dance practice, Jungkook went to grab his water bottle when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around to see his boyfriend standing before him. “Hyung…” Jungkook could only stare at him, eyes wide open.

 

Taehyung looked slightly nervous. He bit his lip and kept shuffling his feet. “Hey, can we talk?” he said finally.

 

“Sure, of course,” said Jungkook, anxiety creeping in. That phrase always had its way of holding the heavy weight of uncertainty, and Jungkook wished he didn’t have to have this conversation, but he knew he had to hear Taehyung out.

 

Taehyung led him up to their room. Once they got in, he closed the door. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Jungkook. “I have something to say.”

 

The younger boy nodded, and waited for him to continue. Bracing himself for the impact of the words to come, Jungkook looked down and took a deep breath as quietly as possible.

 

Taehyung said, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about everything that’s happened recently, and it made me realize lots of things. I realized how clueless I was… that I only recently learned that you were a vampire.” He paused. “I know you know that things can’t be the same as they were before. I mean- what I’m trying to say is-”

 

“I know, hyung. I’m so, _so_ sorry. For everything,” Jungkook cut in. He wished Taehyung could see how much he hated everything about their situation and how much he wanted to find some way to make things go back to the way they were.

 

Taehyung’s expression softened. “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything. What happened with your brother wasn’t your fault. I just wanted you to know that even though things aren’t the same, I think we can make it through, all the same. Human or vampire, I realized I honestly don’t care. I thought a person would change completely if they became a vampire… but you’re still you, and you’re the one I love. I will always be there for you.” He reached out to place a soft peck on Jungkook’s cheek. He said quietly, “At first, I couldn’t get over how shocked I was, so I didn’t even think about how hard this must be for you. I’m sorry, Kookie.”

 

A lump formed in the back of Jungkook’s throat. “Hyung…” He felt hot tears spill over without warning. He turned away, embarrassed. “I’m the one who should be sorry, how can you be so forgiving and nice to me?”

 

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Taehyung said gently. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” He brushed away the teardrops on the younger boy’s face, and drew him close. Jungkook felt comfort in the warm embrace of his boyfriend. Taehyung whispered, “Thank you so much for always staying by my side.” He hesitated. “When my brothers died... my whole world felt like it was falling away. Nothing was going right, everything was a mess. All the things that once mattered to me suddenly didn’t anymore. And even years after I got my life back on track, there was always a sort of… emptiness, I guess. But whenever I felt consumed by it, you were there by my side. It’s always been you, Jungkook.” His eyes were filled with tears. “I love you.”

  
“I love you too,” Jungkook choked up, overcome with emotion. As soundless tears streamed down his face, he smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, constructive criticism and feedback are very much appreciated ♥♥♥
> 
> (Also, I know this chapter was still just mainly centered around Jungkook, but the next chapter will have a scene that follows Yoongi, so that it will be more effective in exploring some of the other members and their dynamics)


	9. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi is nervous as he plans to confess his feelings to Namjoon. Meanwhile, Jungkook has an unwanted surprise encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some scenes that revolve around people other than Jungkook.

Yoongi took a deep breath. Today was the day. He had been counting down every day for the whole month and told himself that if he didn’t do it today, then he might never muster up the courage again. Nervous, he wondered what he would do if he was rejected. Their friendship could be ruined and if that happened, would it even be worth it? He sighed. No, he had to say something at least. Even if nothing ended up happening, he needed to let Namjoon know, if only to get it off his chest. He didn’t want to keep it buried away forever.

 

He slowly willed himself to make his way down the hall to the room that Namjoon shared with Seokjin. It was in the most secluded area of their dorm, as it was situated at the end of the hallway and no one passed by it unless they needed to talk to one of them. Yoongi told himself this was a good thing. At least if he was rejected, he would hear it in private. As his nerves skyrocketed, he decided that if Seokjin was there, he would wait until later. Part of him wished Namjoon wouldn’t be alone, so he could postpone the confession. After what felt like a whole minute, he reached the door. He cleared his throat as quietly as he could. He was about to knock when he saw that the door was slightly open. He decided to wait a few seconds. After calming his nerves, he would make himself known.

 

“What’s wrong? You seem really on edge these days,” he heard Namjoon ask, concern evident in his voice. Yoongi frowned. So Seokjin was there after all.

 

Seokjin said in a hushed voice, “The delivery- it’s not arriving. It was supposed to be here Monday. It’s Friday already, and it’s still not here. Sometimes they’re late, but never by more than a day or two. We ran out this morning when I gave him the last bag.” Through the thin crack, Yoongi spied their oldest hyung pacing back and forth.

 

Yoongi frowned, puzzled. He considered leaving - eavesdropping would be rude, but something about their conversation compelled him to stay.

 

“Are you sure? Did you check everywhere? That one time, they put it in a different place than usual. Maybe that’s what they did this time too,” Namjoon suggested.

 

“No, I looked everywhere. I can’t smell it either.”

 

Frowning, Namjoon cocked his head to the side in thought. “But hyung, I don’t understand. You usually don’t go through them this quick. Now that you have two times the amount, I thought it would be safe. You’ve been rationing like crazy as it is. Why…” He paused, coming to a realization. “There was no double shipment... was there?

 

Seokjin shook his head. “They don’t allow that for people unless they’re part of the clan. I’m an exception because I helped them in the past.”

 

Namjoon fell silent. He protested, “But hyung, this is ridiculous. You can’t keep doing this.”

 

“He needs it more than I do.”

 

“Hyung…” Namjoon sighed.

 

“But if it doesn’t come soon, what if… what if I slip up?” Seokjin’s voice turned slightly high pitched.

 

“You _won’t_ ,” Namjoon said firmly. “You can feed on me, if that helps.” Yoongi frowned.

 

“No,” Seokjin said. “I hate the thought of doing that to you.”

 

Namjoon said, “I know how good you are at controlling it. I know that once you start, you know when to stop. But if you go too long without it, what happens then? I don’t think even the most skilled person would be able to resist it. They would slip up too. It’s better this way. Think of it as saving a potential life instead of taking someone’s blood.”

 

“No, I really can’t- and you’re not _just_ someone...” protested Seokjin.

 

“ _Hyung_ , it’s okay,” Namjoon said, offering his hand. The older boy gazed at him with conflict and pain evident on his face. When Seokjin still hesitated, Namjoon pointed out, “Jin hyung, I’m sure he would just _love_ to know that while he’s getting a full portion, his hyung might end up killing someone because he’s being an idiot starving himself.”

 

Seokjin sighed. He looked up at Namjoon. “You know I’m right,” the younger boy said. Seokjin muttered the affirmative in defeat.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Seokjin said, immense regret in his eyes. “I thought that by now, I wouldn’t have to resort to this.” He slowly moved forward to pierce the skin on Namjoon’s hand with his teeth, taking care to be as gentle as possible. He drank for a few seconds, before pulling back. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

 

“Ah hyung! Don’t think much of it,” Namjoon said, casually waving his hand in a nonchalant manner.

 

 _Jin hyung… a vampire?_ Yoongi frowned deeply. He focused his gaze even more intently at the sight before him, as though he were watching a horror movie. His surroundings seemed to fade away as he looked on, frozen in disbelief. _How could he be one?_ Yoongi thought back to all those late night conversations he had had with him about their worries at the time, or the many times they had laughed while shaking their heads at how chaotic and hyper the younger members were. As Seokjin was the only member in the group who was older than him, Yoongi had felt comfortable sharing his problems with him. With the younger ones, he would feel like he was imposing on them, when as a hyung, he felt he had to protect them. He had trusted Seokjin with so many of his inner conflicts. Yoongi felt moisture pooling in his eyes as the same words replayed over and over again in his head: _How could you fool me so completely?_

 

Seokjin furrowed his brows. “I have to find a way to get more, and fast. If I wait too long, then what if he runs into another mistake? Even if I have to go straight to the clan, I’m gonna get it one way or another.” His lips stretched into a thin line of stern determination.

 

“It _will_ work out. Don’t worry about it too much. You’ve always found a way to make it work. You’ll make it work this time too,” Namjoon reassured, wrapping a hand around Seokjin’s shoulder, drawing him close. The older boy rested his head against Namjoon’s. “Thank you again,” Seokjin whispered, turning to face the younger boy. Muttering a soft “don’t mention it,” Namjoon leaned in and gently pressed his lips against Seokjin’s. The older boy ran a hand through Namjoon’s soft blond hair, wrapping his fingers up in it. Namjoon smiled as a pleasant tingling sensation washed over him the way it did whenever Seokjin did that.

 

Yoongi turned away. He had seen enough. The walk back to his own room was made in a slow daze, his feet dragging as though he were trudging through a swamp.

 

\---

 

“Excuse me.” Seokjin pulled away suddenly from Namjoon, grimacing as he ran to the bathroom. As soon as he got in, he locked the door, turned on the tap, and retched into the toilet. _Namjoon’s blood._ Seokjin frowned. Once he threw it up, he felt better. The pain in his stomach subsided a little. As he tried to figure out the reason why he felt sick - this had never happened before - he wondered if he had felt so guilty that he couldn’t stomach the blood. Could that even happen?

 

“Jin hyung?” Namjoon knocked on the door. “Hyung, are you okay?” he called.

 

“Yeah! Just a minute!” Just as Seokjin flushed away the blood and washed his hands thoroughly, he heard Yoongi’s voice from outside the washroom.

 

“Namjoon,” Yoongi said coolly. “I have something to say to you.”

 

“Uh- hyung, could this wait?” Namjoon asked awkwardly.

 

“No, it’s important,” said Yoongi, unyielding.

 

Following some hesitation, Namjoon obliged. He followed Yoongi down to the studio where they had recently started co-producing a song. “What is it, hyung?” Namjoon asked, not knowing what to expect. As soon as the younger boy shut the door behind them, Yoongi rounded on him, the former mask of composure all but gone. “Explain yourself!” he hissed.

 

Namjoon raised his eyebrows. “About what?...” he asked quizzically.

 

“Seokjin hyung,” Yoongi enunciated.

 

Namjoon blushed. “What do you mean… what about him?” Yoongi scowled at that, growing more furious by the second.

 

“How long have you known?” he demanded.

 

Namjoon grew defensive. “Known what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Yoongi lowered his voice. “That he was a _vampire._ ” At that, he saw the younger boy pale. “H-how did you know?” he asked when he could finally speak.

 

“How did I know?” Yoongi spat. “ _That’s_ the issue here?” Namjoon fell silent.

 

“Ah wow, I really can’t believe this.” Yoongi let out a disbelieving laugh, verging on hysterical. “You - as the _leader_ of our group - are hiding and even _supporting_ a vampire?!”

 

“I’m doing what I think is best,” Namjoon said quietly.

 

“Best for who? Seokjin hyung? That traitor? Or maybe yourself? Seeing as you seem so far up his ass, you can’t tell right from wrong anymore?”

 

Namjoon narrowed his eyes. “Don’t speak about him that way.”

 

Yoongi shot back, “Oh, why? After fucking him, did you stop caring he was a vampire?”

 

There was a long silence as Namjoon’s eyes grew so wide and menacing, they looked as if they were going to pop out any second. Yoongi gave a cold smirk in return, gritting his teeth.

 

“I’m going to tell everyone,” Yoongi finally said in a voice devoid of emotion.

 

“No, you can’t!” Namjoon’s expression changed to one of fear. His eyes widened as he grew desperate. “No- please don’t tell anyone.” He looked at Yoongi, pleading.

 

Frustrated, Yoongi turned his back to Namjoon, pulling at his hair. He growled, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

 

“Think of everything Jin hyung has done for you. For all of us.”

 

Yoongi snorted. “I don’t owe any vampire anything.”

 

Namjoon decided to go at it from another angle. “Suga hyung, it doesn’t even have to be just for Jin hyung. Please, even if it’s just for Bangtan as a group. Once people find out, it’ll explode into a scandal. Imagine how the public will react. We won’t be able to be a team anymore.”

 

Yoongi hesitated. The younger boy did have a point. _Ugh. Logical, as always._ He shook his head. “Then all the blame and responsibility of that will fall on him,” he countered.

 

“But he’s a _good_ person. If you tell everyone, he could be locked away. You know our country doesn’t consider vampires to be people.”

 

“Then maybe you should believe in our country a little more.”

 

“How is it his fault that he’s a vampire? Besides, it’s not even a bad thing if you think about it,” Namjoon said.

 

“NOT A BAD THING?” Yoongi exploded. “Oh, right. Not a bad thing, that vampires killed my parents. Killed Taehyung’s brother. That they kill humans every day, all over the world. But yeah, you’re right. No big deal.” His voice dripped biting sarcasm.

 

The younger boy’s expression changed to one of sympathy. “Hyung… I’m sorry. I’m sorry that your parents were killed by vampires, and I didn’t mean to be disrespectful about that. That’s not what I meant. But every vampire is different. You can’t just act like they’re all the same.”

 

“Yes, I think I can,” Yoongi said. “Look, I get that you wouldn’t understand, but if the same thing happened to you, you wouldn’t be able to defend them so easily.”

 

“Could you please give him a chance?” Namjoon asked. “You _know_ Jin hyung. You know how much he hates hurting people. He wouldn’t even hurt a fly if he could help it.”

 

Yoongi gritted his teeth, seething in silent fury. “I saw him _drinking_ from you today.”

 

“Yes, but he didn’t hurt me-”

 

Yoongi cut him off. “ _That’s why_ it’s so much worse. That even though Jin hyung doesn’t want to hurt anyone - that yeah, maybe you’re right - he’s one of the _better_ vampires, he can’t help but do it anyway. It’s _in their nature_. Why can’t you understand?” He paced. He felt as if he knew some big truth that Namjoon couldn’t see. He couldn’t see past the mask. Not the way Yoongi could. “Namjoon, I wish you’d understand. Then you wouldn’t get used by them like this. What if… what if you end up getting killed like that?” Yoongi said gravely. “I can’t watch that happen.”

 

“You won’t have to.”

 

“Hm.”

 

“Hyung,” Namjoon tried again, his forehead creasing with emotion. “We worked _so_ hard to get here. And we’ve come so far. Do you want to throw that away? Your dream? All that effort, just because Jin hyung is a vampire? Just because you’d rather see him behind bars? If you hate vampires so much, then why even give them the agency of ruining your life? Why would you throw away your dream because of them?”

 

Yoongi stared at the Bangtan leader, his lips stretched in a thin line. He hated being wielded by logic like this, especially when he knew Namjoon’s other motives. He felt such an intense rage surge from inside of him that he could almost feel tears forming, from the sheer outrageousness of it all. He let in a deep breath in an attempt to regain composure. “Fine,” he obliged with great reluctance. “But who is that other traitor?” he asked.

 

Namjoon sighed in exasperation. “What other traitor?”  

 

“I heard you guys talking. There’s another vampire in Bangtan, isn’t there? Who is it?”

 

When Namjoon didn’t answer, Yoongi continued, “If I go with the process of elimination, then we can cross off you, me, and Seokjin hyung… that leaves Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. Fine. You’re not gonna tell me? I’ll find out myself. I should at least know who it is.”

 

“They’re not. They’re not in Bangtan,” Namjoon lied.

 

Yoongi raised an eyebrow. “Who else comes around here regularly?... Then is it one of the manager hyungs?” he asked.

 

“I’m not going to tell you.” Namjoon glued his eyes to the floor, stubbornly avoiding Yoongi’s intent gaze.

 

“Fine. I’ll find out soon enough.” With that, Yoongi left the studio, slamming the door shut behind him. This was not how he had planned on having the day begin. Not by a long shot.

 

\---

 

“Hey, I’m just gonna get some air!” Jungkook announced to his hyungs cheerfully after they had finished practicing their new choreographies for the day. “I’ll be right back!” He ran outside. Smiling, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation of fresh air filling his lungs. He opened his eyes happily. Things were looking up. Now that Seokjin hyung was helping him with feeding, he no longer had to worry about starving himself, which made it easier to control his urges. His relationship with Taetae hyung was being patched up. But of course, there was still the issue of the others finding out about him.

 

Seokjin hyung had told Namjoon hyung, who had taken it surprisingly well. But Jungkook knew he would be dreaming way too big if he expected the others to react the same way as Taetae hyung or Namjoon hyung. Especially Yoongi hyung... The only option he had was to prevent him from ever finding out. But other than the members, the biggest problem was still… Jungsoo hyung _._ Jungkook let out a deep sigh. Where was he supposed to go from here? Despite his brain telling him different, his heart yearned to see his brother and find out more about him, like how he had spent the last few years. Why he had become this cold, ruthless person. Jungkook felt his heart grow heavy as he thought of the hardships his hyung must have had to endure. If Jungkook had been stronger… would things have been easier for Jungsoo hyung? Would he not have turned out this way? Jungkook pushed the thought away. He decided he needed a brief stroll to collect his thoughts.

 

As he walked, his thoughts drifted off to when he had first met Yoongi. Curt and snappy were his words, and he brought around an air of rough nonchalance wherever he went. Others might have mistaken him to be cold, but Jungkook had found him interesting from the start. There was something about his gruff nature that struck him as very familiar… And instead of coldness, he saw a type of loneliness. Once their friendship began, it hadn’t been long before Jungkook saw Yoongi’s kind and caring side. He had learned that his hyung was one of the most compassionate people he had met. He felt things very deeply and felt the need to hide that away. Thinking of Yoongi hyung, Jungkook wondered how his confession had gone… He hadn’t had a chance to ask him yet. He crossed his fingers and hoped for the best.

  
As Jungkook rounded the corner, something made him stop in his tracks. He detected soft footsteps that pulled him out of his thoughts. They held that eerie vibe of trying to remain unnoticed. He felt a prickling sensation as the hairs on the back of his head stood up. He wasn’t alone. As he turned around, he spied the dark blue fabric of a jacket. It belonged to a man with forehead lines that looked to be permanently engraved into his skin. The man’s fist connected with his jaw, causing Jungkook to step back in a daze. There was movement from his other side. Another man. Before his second attacker could land a punch to his gut, he swiftly dodged and, using the man’s momentum against him, pushed him to the side. He was about to make a run for it when to his left, another man’s rough hand pushed a sharp needle into his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I quite liked writing this chapter. Yoongi is an important character here, so I wanted to find a way to illustrate his views a bit more clearly. 
> 
> Constructive criticism/feedback is always appreciated! :D


	10. Captured

The morning air was cold - a typical winter day. Seokjin could see his breath come out in poofs of white. He stared up at the tall building looming before him. KS Corps. To the outside world, it was a successful conglomerate made of several branches - electronics, military weaponry, furniture, food manufacturers, and even a shopping mall. But Seokjin knew better. Aside from all that, it was also the headquarters of the biggest vampire clan in South Korea. It contained a secret military base where the clan vampires would practice and train, and a laboratory in which the scientists would carry out their research within the headquarters, all disguised as a weaponry testing area and a hospital. The significant profits the company made were more than enough to fund their activities. At the head of the whole operation was a stern man by the name of Kwon Sangjin. That was the name the public recognized him by, but the insiders within the clan referred to him simply as General Kwon. Seokjin rolled his eyes at the rigid military titles that organized the ranks of the clan vampires. Most of them probably had never even been in the real military.

 

Seokjin realized he had been standing in front of the building for an entire two minutes. He hated coming here. The bunch of them were quite… radical. He beheld them as extremists, to put it kindly. Still, there was one person he respected. The person he had come to see today. With a deep breath, he stepped inside the rotating door, covering the bottom half of his face with a white mask. He made his way up the elevator to the hospital. Walking over to the nurses’ desk, he asked, “Is Dr. Kim Wooseok in? I’m a close friend of his.”

 

“Yes, he just finished surgery and he should be free now,” a young nurse replied with a smile. “Can I get your name?”

 

“Yes, Kim Seokjin.” He quietly hoped she wouldn’t recognize him.

 

“Alright, I will let him know. Please, make yourself comfortable,” she said, gesturing to the seats stationed a few feet from the desk. With that, she disappeared behind an automatic door. Seokjin let out a sigh. Last time, someone had recognized him, and it had caused unnecessary complications. Flipping up the lid of his phone, he checked the time. He would have to make it quick, if he was to be back in an hour. Seokjin had wanted to come by here earlier - _days_ ago in fact, but he had only been able to do so now, as time was scarce. He tapped his fingers on his knees anxiously. If anyone had taken Jungkook away, his first guess was the clan. After all, they had been the ones to turn him. He grew troubled as he thought of how much Jungkook’s disappearance had shaken up the whole group.

 

Taehyung had been anxious every moment since they first found out Jungkook was gone. He barely slept or ate, and spent the majority of his free time holed up in Jimin’s room, worrying, while Jimin tried to convince both Taehyung and himself that Jungkook would be found soon. That he would be okay. Namjoon and Yoongi had grown very quiet. Namjoon only spoke when he had to say something important, or when he gave talks in an attempt to boost morale. Namjoon hardly even spoke when they were alone together. He would say he was tired, and insist on going straight to bed after the day’s work. Yoongi had been rather distant for the past few days. Seokjin assumed it was his way of dealing with Jungkook being missing. Through it all, Hoseok tried to lift everyone’s spirits, even while he was worried sick himself. Seokjin let out a deep sigh. Even though they had reported Jungkook to the police as missing, and halted their promotional activities, there hadn’t been any leads. _Jungkook, where are you?_

 

“Jin? Hey, Jin?”

 

He emerged from his thoughts to see Wooseok waving at him, giving him a friendly smile. His usually tidy black hair was messy, and his warm eyes looked exhausted. Still, that wasn’t enough to hide his natural charisma and elegance.

 

“Wooseok hyung, is something up?”

 

“Oh, it’s just been really busy over here the past month. I’m so sorry about the shipment. I’ve hardly had any time to do anything other than research and work, and I forgot.” His brows knit together apologetically. “I’ll give it to you now, just follow me.”

 

Seokjin stood up. “Actually, hyung... it’s not just about the shipment.”

 

Wooseok turned, a clear look of confusion on his face. _Does he not know what happened to Jungkook?_ Seokjin grew puzzled.

 

“Hyung… It’s Jungkook.”

 

“Jungkook? Why, did something happen to him? Jungsoo didn’t say anything about him,” Wooseok said with a frown.

 

 _So Jungsoo’s his brother? The vampire who turned him? Out of all the vampires it could be, Jungsoo?_ Out loud, he said, “Jungkook’s gone missing. And I thought your clan took him.”

 

Wooseok frowned. His brows scrunched together in worry. “I can tell you that we didn’t take him. I’m sure of that. If the General ordered that, I am certain Jungsoo would know of it. And in turn, I would know.”

 

Seokjin nodded slowly. It did make sense. Even he could tell that Wooseok was the only person Jungsoo confided in, and if Wooseok didn’t know, Jungkook was likely elsewhere.

 

Wooseok said slowly, “My guess is… the vamp police.”

 

“The vamp police?!” Seokjin asked, alarmed.

 

“Jin, tell me honestly, did Jungkook ever feed on a human?”

 

“...Yes,” he admitted. “But I took care of it. The compulsion, everything.”

 

“The human you compelled might not have been compelled properly, if you weren’t strong enough at the time. If you didn’t have enough blood.”

 

“Impossible,” Seokjin said. “Even when I’m at my worst, my compulsion _always_ works.”

 

Wooseok said thoughtfully, “In that case…  there may have been a witness, a bystander, someone else in the picture. If they reported that to the police, they would have checked the CCTVs in the area and uncovered Jungkook’s identity. If he’s really with them, then I have to say… Jungsoo’s your best bet at getting him out. It’s a risky job, and he knows the layout of the station the best. He’s also successfully broken out more vampires than anyone in our clan. I’ll notify him right away. But I’ll just warn you, even if Jungsoo wants to get his brother out right away, he still has to follow protocol and get permission from the General first. It might take longer than you’d like it to.”

 

“He’s the one who turned Jungkook, isn’t he?” Seokjin accused, notes of anger in his voice. Wooseok gave a solemn nod. “Then it’s the least he can do to make up for it. He’d better work hard and fast. Not that it even really makes up for anything.”

 

\---

 

“Search him.” Even with the fog clouding up his mind, Jungkook could register his pockets and clothes being searched.

 

“Seriously? Not even a cell phone or a wallet? What kind of teenager doesn’t bring those around with him?” he heard someone say. A small wave of relief washed over him. He had left his cell phone at the dorm, not wanting to distract himself while sorting through his thoughts, and he didn’t have a lot of money anyway, so he had no reason to bring his wallet around with him everywhere. 

 

“He’s finally up,” a voice said, noticing him stir.

 

Jungkook felt a rough hand grab him by the hair and yank his head up. He winced. “Answer my questions honestly, and this will be over soon. You hear me, boy?” a man said in a firm voice. Jungkook shivered, his nerves growing more alert by the second. He was sitting in a chair, his hands behind his back, bound by handcuffs. His ankles were tied to the feet of the chair. As he struggled against his restraints, he could feel the cold metal dig into his skin. His eyes darted across the room, looking for an escape. The entire room was white with no windows. Officers were stationed by the only door. 

 

“Now, who was the other vampire?” asked the man. 

 

“What other vampire?” Jungkook asked, trying to remain calm.

 

“Don’t play dumb.” The man took out a remote control and played a copy of a CCTV recording on the white wall. Jungkook could make out an image of him feeding from the man in the alleyway. The Jungkook in the video appeared possessed by some fervent force, mercilessly drinking in the blood. His stomach lurched. Then, out of nowhere, he saw a hooded figure pin him to the wall, stopping him. The officer paused the video. “Right there. Who is that?”

 

“I don’t know,” Jungkook said firmly.

 

“Well, it looks to me like you do. They talked to you there, and they look to be an experienced vampire. They even seem to know all the CCTV angles, and how to avoid showing their face in them. We have footage of them talking to the victim later on. From what we gathered upon speaking with the victim, your friend there erased his memory. And you still say you don’t know who that is?”

 

“I don’t know! How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t know who they are or why they helped me!”

 

The man paused, rolling up his sleeves. “You know… the police actually just got a missing alert about you. Your company’s been going crazy trying to get you back. Jeon. Jungkook.” The way the man enunciated his name sent chills down Jungkook’s spine. He continued, “My daughter is obsessed with your group. Pretty popular too, aren’t you? What a shame, all those fans would feel so betrayed once they find out you’re a vampire. You do know how easy it is for people like you in the entertainment industry to get wrapped up in some scandal or other, and just disappear, right?” He tsk-tsked. “Pity. And you guys were just on the rise too.”

 

“No, please, don’t. I won’t hurt anyone ever again, I promise! Please… just don’t do that to my group. They didn't do anything,” Jungkook begged.

 

The man gave him a smug look. “I’ll offer you a deal. Tell me who your buddy is, and your group gets off scot-free.”

 

“You-you said you got a missing alert,” Jungkook tried. He noted their police uniforms. “If you’re really part of the police, you have to take me back.”

 

The man laughed. “That’s because your company thought you were _human_ when they reported you. You’re not, so as the unit in charge of all the vampires, we have every right to keep you here.”

 

Jungkook swallowed. As the man leaned forward to jeer at him, his eyes fell on the man’s name tag. _Officer Park Seonho._

 

“Do your friends know about you?” Officer Park asked, smirking. “I sincerely hope not, otherwise they could be charged for aiding and abetting. Not only for assisting what could have been a murder, but also for the crime of hiding a vampire.”

  
“So it’s a crime to be a vampire?” Jungkook said in disgust. He hated being a vampire, but this wasn’t fair on any count.   

 

“Of course. You’re a danger to society. A threat. What-” Officer Park was interrupted by an incoming call. Impatiently, he took it. After a few seconds, he answered, “Alright, I’ll be right there.” He turned back to Jungkook. “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

\---

 

The door opened abruptly. Officer Park returned, his boots thudding as he stepped inside. The door closed with a click.

 

Jungkook shivered. “What are you going to do with me?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing too bad. I thought a change of location would be more beneficial to your interrogation. And then we’ll perform some tests every now and then.”

 

“Tests? What tests?” asked Jungkook. He clenched his fists as horror set in.

 

“You’ll see.”

 

“This can’t be legal,” Jungkook said. “You’re not allowed to do this.”

 

“I’ll remind you again that the laws that you’re familiar with don’t apply to you anymore. According to them, vampires aren’t considered people, not in our system. Of course, we as the police in charge of you, do have rules when it comes to your kind. But they’re far more…flexible. No need to worry though. We’re not allowed to kill, not unless you inflict violence on any of our officers.” Officer Lee motioned to two other officers. “Take him away.” They untied his feet and grabbed Jungkook from either side and pushed him out the door and into a long hallway. It was dim, but he could make out areas where the paint had peeled off from the foreboding scratches on the wall. He drew in a shuddering breath.

 

“Move it,” one of the officers ordered from behind. As Jungkook kept moving, the hallway grew darker and darker until they were standing in almost complete darkness. His eyes adjusted well enough for him to see, but instead of diminishing his fear, the dark reminded him of shadows stretching far enough to merge with other shadows, enveloping all that stood between them in an unwelcome embrace. “There, inside there,” one of the officers ordered, pointing to a cramped space a few meters in front of them. Jungkook could make out the shape of a bed - no, more like a surgical table with a blanket haphazardly thrust on top of it, and nothing else inside. Rusted bars surrounded all sides of the room. It was a cage. As he drew nearer, the tension in his stomach grew as he felt a strange thought coil its way around his mind: _once you go in there, you can’t come back out_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated ♥


	11. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungkook gets interrogated by the vamp police.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some abuse and torture (implied) in this chapter, so I'm just putting it here as a heads-up, in case that's not your thing. I'm not sure if I can gauge if it's light or heavy though, because I haven't read other torture scenes.

Jungkook sat in silence. The loudest thing in the darkness was the sound of his heart leaping in his chest. He squinted, trying to make out details of the cell next to his. Vampirism came with partial night vision, as he had realized weeks ago. There didn’t seem to be anyone there. The room seemed to be the same as his, bare and small, except for -

 

“AH!” Jungkook stumbled back as he made out the image of a body - a man, bloodied and bruised, lying unconscious in the corner of the next cell. Jungkook closed his eyes, trying to concentrate for the sound of breathing, a heartbeat, any sign of life, but found none.

 

He jumped again when he heard the clanking of keys, followed by heavy footsteps. He turned to see a brute-looking officer with broad-set shoulders walk up to his cage. Flicking on the light, he jangled the keys against the lock. Jungkook flinched at the sudden blast of light after the prolonged darkness. He put out his arm in front of him to shield his eyes. Within a few seconds, they adjusted. He opened them to see that the officer had brought in a chair with him. After roughly setting Jungkook on it, he said, “So, we have some other questions for you. Answer them right, and we’ll forgive you for not talking yesterday. We won’t need to cause you any pain. We’ll just leave you in your miserable cell in peace. Simple, right? Now, who turned you?”

 

“I-I don’t know. I was a-ambushed.”

 

“You’ll soon learn that there’s no point in defending your friend. Where are they now, anyway? If they really cared, they would be here, trying to get you out. Don’t risk your life trying to protect someone who doesn’t even care for you.”

 

Jungkook trembled, a tear trickling from his eye despite his attempts to stay strong. The man was right though, wasn’t he? His brother didn’t care about him. Not anymore. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sentenced him to a life of vampirism. Was it his hyung's way of getting back at him? To make him _understand_?  _So what am I doing right now, defending him?_

 

“You have one chance before I beat the shit out of you, boy.” The man took out a syringe. “You know what this is? It slows down your healing process so that the pain actually lasts.” He forcibly stabbed it into Jungkook’s neck.

 

Jungkook shut his eyes tight, clenching his teeth. He made up his mind. No matter what had gone down between them, he didn’t want his hyung to be in the same spot as he was now. As he thought back to the dreary days of visiting his grave, Jungkook knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive having to do that all over again.

 

“Fine. But know that this is all on you. You have no one else to blame but yourself for this.” The man took out the baton hoisted at his hip. Without warning, he lashed out. Jungkook felt its heavy weight collide with his left thigh. Then his right. He screamed out in pain. The man’s strikes grew increasingly rapid and out of control, as he aimed at his knees, elbows, and abdomen. Jungkook heard deafening cracks as his bones broke. His eyes stung with tears as the pain caused him to bite down hard on his tongue, drawing blood. He choked as he tried to cough it up. “P-please, please s-stop,” he begged.

 

The man pointed his baton at Jungkook’s face. “Talk, or the next one is gonna be aimed at your pretty face.”

 

“I’m s-sorry, I … I d-don’t know.” Even as he said it, he half-regretted the words. There was a thud as the man aimed a savage strike to the left side of his head. Jungkook could feel his head twist to the right from the impact, before everything became enshrouded in black.

 

\---

 

In the hours that followed, Jungkook faded in and out of consciousness. Sometimes he heard snippets of conversation.

 

“-caused a lot of trouble for us.”

 

“Who?”

  
“Ah, you wouldn’t know. You’re new. But you’ll probably meet him soon enough. There’s this pain in the ass named Jeon Jungsoo. Here’s his file.”

  
Jungkook became more alert as his ears pricked up, heart racing. He heard rustling as papers were exchanged. He kept his eyes closed, pretending he was still unconscious.

 

“Next time you see him, stick him with one of the new ones I showed you.”

 

“The new ones?” a man asked nervously. “I-I’ve never done it before. How do I-”

 

“Oh calm down. It’s the same as anesthetizing a dog. You’ve done that before, haven’t you?”

 

“Yes, sir,” the man said quickly. “But anesthetizing isn’t the same as-”

 

“Exactly. The point is not to overthink it. If you do, you could lose your own life before you can even call for help.” The man’s voice was smooth, crisply enunciating every word with absolute clarity.

 

“Yes, sir.” Jungkook could hear the fear in his voice.

 

The first man continued, “This one over here, this Jeon Jungkook… if he was turned by a vampire… I can bet my right leg they’ve contacted him. They don’t turn just any human. There’s _got_ to be some sort of connection. This guy definitely knows something. He just doesn’t want to tell us. We’ll get it out of him soon enough though. Watch carefully.”

 

Jungkook felt a blast of cold water slosh his face. He jolted and fluttered his eyes open, pretending to have just awoken. He counted four officers in the room this time. Two guarded the entrance of his cell, while the other two stood in front of him.

 

“Shall we continue?” the man who had beaten him with the baton looked down at him, giving a smug smile at the bruise marks still covering Jungkook’s face.

 

The officer with the clear voice said impatiently, “Oh, get out of the way. He’s not gonna talk at this rate. You’re not going about it the right way.” Jungkook’s lips trembled as he looked up at the man. This officer had a look of determination embedded in his steel eyes, with a hard-set jaw to go along with it. _Officer Cho Jaesuk,_ his name tag read. He seemed to be the highest-ranked officer in the room, from what Jungkook could make of the obedient looks on the others’ faces.

 

“Who turned you, boy? They’re from the vampire clan, aren’t they?”

 

“I-I wouldn’t know.”

 

The man looked at him, unimpressed. “Well, it would be in your best interest to know, because we have good reason to think the clan vampires are up to something, something big. If you tell us everything you know, starting from who turned you, we could have a chance of saving countless human lives.”

 

Jungkook paused. _Are they really up to something?_ “H-have they done anything in the past?” The words came pouring out.

 

Officer Cho smiled. “Who do you think gives a bad name to your kind? Rogues who make a mistake every now and then? Vampires like you? No… it’s the clan vamps, only they go untraced… for the most part anyway. Killing for _fun_. With such a large number of them, it doesn’t make sense that they all drink from humans. Otherwise, we would detect them. They must have an alternate method for feeding that works effectively for them, only they _choose_ to kill and feed on humans every now and then, just because it brings them pleasure.”

 

Jungkook swallowed, the image of his brother feeding on Taehyung all too vivid in his mind.

 

“We can’t let that happen now, can we?”

 

Jungkook said, “I… I’m sorry, but y-you got the wrong person. I don’t know anything about their plans. I-It’s true that a clan vampire turned me, but I don’t know who it was.”

 

“Hm. Would any names refresh your memory? Jeon Jungsoo... for example?” Utter composure reigning every fibre of his being, he regarded Jungkook’s every reaction with penetrating eyes, derisive smile in place.  

 

Jungkook tilted his head down slightly as he fought to keep his expression neutral. “I’ve never heard that name before.”

 

Officer Cho ignored him, straightening up to circle around Jungkook with solid, even footsteps. It reminded Jungkook of a vulture, waiting for the right time to swoop down. The intervals that separated the tap of his boots were precise - the exact same every time. It was a timer, counting down until Jungkook would finally lose his sanity. He prodded, “You related? Brothers?... After all, your last name is the same, as well as the first part of your first name. Common amongst siblings.”

 

Jungkook tried to mask his fear with an exasperated sigh. “Seriously? It’s not like Jeon is an uncommon surname. What are you going to do now, accuse me of being related to every wanted Jeon out there? I don’t know this Jeon Jungsoo.”

 

“Really?” the man asked skeptically. “But the fact that you two are both vampires, you being a new vampire at that… suspicious. Maybe some new information will jog your memory… If we capture him, we can capture _all_ the vampires. He’s one of the main players in the clan, we suspect he’s second only to whoever their leader is. You’re only a newly turned vampire, so you probably identify more with the humans. Here’s what we know. The vampires are planning something big. If they succeed, it will result in the deaths of many, _many_ humans. Your members might be among them. If you don’t tell us where he is, their blood will be on _your_ hands.”

 

Jungkook shook his head, real frustration emerging. “Then why don’t you hook me up to a lie detector? I really don’t know.”

 

“Nice try. Lie detectors don’t work on your kind. Your systems are quite... strange, and even the control questions don’t work.”

 

The brute officer burst out from behind them, “WE KNOW YOU VAMPIRES ARE PLANNING SOMETHING. There’s been suspicious activity. We just don’t know what it is yet. So tell me, before I have to torture it out of you.” When Jungkook didn’t reply, an ugly smirk found its way onto the officer’s face. He kicked Jungkook’s chair to a corner, causing him to fall out of it, hitting his head painfully against the hard floor. The man pressed his dirty black boot to Jungkook’s face, holding his head in place so that he couldn’t move. “You know, this is the only angle where the cameras have a blind spot. All I need to say is that you attacked me, and then… you’re _done_. Let me ask one more time, what do you know about Jeon Jungsoo?”

 

Officer Cho raised a hand to stop him. He bent down to Jungkook to meet his stare. “A stubborn one, aren’t you?” He gave an amused yet mildly intrigued smile, as though all this were a game to him. After a pause, he reached out to pat Jungkook’s head. Jungkook flinched, holding his breath and balling his hands into fists. There was a long moment. To Jungkook, it felt like an eternity. Eventually, it passed. Setting him upright again in his chair, Officer Cho turned to the other officers. He revealed, “You know, we don’t even _need_ to get him to talk. Of course, it would have saved some time, but he’s still of use here. Truth be told, the Chief thinks they’re definitely related. It’ll take a little longer, but if he’s right, I’m sure Jungsoo will come crawling in here to save his brother soon enough. Then we can finish him off for good, _and_ have a shot at finding out where the rest of the rats are hiding. We just need to torture this one enough to make Jungsoo angry. Give him some… motivation. Make him rush, forget things. You know the drill.”

 

“But … how would the clan know what we’re doing to him?” the new, timid officer asked, furrowing his brows.

 

“Trust me, they’ll be able to see.” Officer Cho lifted his index finger to gesture up at the cameras positioned on the ceiling. “Once they’ve found out through the news that little Jungkook here is missing, they’ll suspect us first. They’ll use their hackers to see through our cameras, just like last time. Only this time, we’ll use it against them.”

 

“Sounds good to me.” The officer who had beaten him, whose name Jungkook saw was Officer Nam Woojin - twisted his features into a smile. “I wonder, would your limbs grow back if we cut them off?” At that, Jungkook shuddered and looked down at his feet, frozen.

 

“Nah, they don’t,” a female officer said carelessly. “We tried that once, cut off a hand, but it didn’t grow back. Just healed the wound. We couldn’t sew it back together successfully either.” She shrugged.

 

Officer Nam laughed. “Hear that? There’s just so much room for experimentation here.”

 

“Skip that. Just put him in the bath,” Officer Cho said, tapping Officer Nam on the shoulder. “Your specialty.” With that, he left the room.

 

“My pleasure.”

 

\---

 

It turned out that the ‘bath’ was a tall black barrel at least one and a half times Jungkook’s height. The officers, who had slipped on white lab coats, masks, and protective goggles, filled it with boiling water, mixed in with some sort of chemical.

 

“Wh-what’s in it?” Jungkook asked, dreading the answer. He felt nauseous and couldn’t stop his body from shaking. His heart hammered in his chest. He tried to breathe, but it didn’t do any good. He only felt like he was choking.

 

“Sodium hydroxide and water,” Officer Nam replied, looking like he couldn’t wait to begin. Jungkook wasn’t sure what that combination meant, but the officer’s excitement chilled him to the bone.

 

The female officer - Officer Kim said, “It can dissolve a human body _completely_ in four to five hours at this temperature, but in your case, your healing speed makes it so that you don’t dissolve fully. You’ll keep healing _just_ in time for your burnt flesh to keep repairing itself. Sometimes we like to change up the concentrations midway through, but that’s up to the officer in charge.” She made a matter-of-fact gesture with her hands as though she were a bored professor in a college lecture hall. “From the screams I’ve heard in the past though, I’ve gathered it’s basically constant agony.” She turned to Officer Nam. “I have to go see the other prisoners. I’ll leave you to it then.”

 

\---

 

Jungsoo stepped into the garden. Streaks of amber painted the evening sky as the sun bobbed its head for the night. Ivy grew against the height of the tall fence that enclosed the area, separating it from the rest of the headquarters. The healthy soil gave rise to the myriad of blossoming winter flowers that permeated the area with every floral fragrance imaginable. Instead of bringing chaos, the scents wafted together in the wind to form a balanced harmony. It was the General’s favourite place. When he wasn’t in his lab, he was in his garden tending to his plants. “You called for me, sir?” he called.

 

“Are the preparations all finished?” the General asked, turning slightly to acknowledge Jungsoo’s presence.

 

“Yes, we have specifically chosen and targeted areas that will be tightly packed with humans. Schools, malls, hospitals, large public events, amongst others. ”

 

“Good. We must make it quick, before they have time to take measures against it.”

 

Jungsoo said, “Of course. We have made plans to go to all the fresh water mountain springs as well, especially the popular ones that hikers frequent. Since they are quite an important part of our nation’s lifestyle, I figured that would also be effective.”

 

The General’s features twisted into a smile. “Good... I’m impressed, Lieutenant-General.”

 

“In a few weeks, the humans will start to realize it.”

  
“When they do, we’ll be ready,” the General said, smile disappearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left feedback for this story ♥♥♥ It's been very helpful and nice. I really appreciate it ^_^ 
> 
> Also, if there's anything I'm doing badly or just plain weirdly in general, I would really love to know.  
> Lately, I've been working on putting better description, and more of it, in an attempt to improve my writing xD so hopefully that went through~
> 
> Jungkook why do I do this to you ;-; I'm so sorry


	12. Despair

Hours went by. Or perhaps days. Jungkook couldn’t tell. Being kept in this cell, with no natural light permeating the air, he had already begun to lose his sense of time. He lay still, devoid of all energy. Even if he had the energy, he had no will to get up. His flesh stung, still paining him with the agony of the sodium hydroxide bath. Laying down hurt, but then again, every position hurt. He had tried repositioning himself to make it endurable, but it had proved impossible, so in the end, he settled for laying down on his side at a crooked angle. It hurt slightly less than anything else he had tried.

 

He couldn’t sleep, though every muscle in his body was exhausted and wanted to give in. It was the strangest conflict of sensations he had ever experienced. Every time he closed his eyes, he was inside the barrel again, the solution gnawing away at his flesh. There was no escape. He could only splash around, a desperate attempt to at least keep his head out of the water. He was at the complete mercy of the officer, who decided when he would be pulled back out. Sometimes he would play games with him, promising to get him out, but leaving him in for an extra ten minutes. The officer had laughed every time Jungkook had fallen for his trickery. Thirteen times he had been tossed in. He couldn’t remember what had happened the last time. Everything had disappeared into black, and the next thing he recalled was waking up in the darkness of his cell, his burnt skin meeting the cold, dirty floor. He shuddered at the memory. It was the most physically painful thing he had experienced in his entire life. On top of that, his throat burned. It was as if someone had lit a match and forced it down. It only grew more intense with time. He was thirsty, but the guards refused to give him anything. He wondered what would happen if he went without blood for too long. Would he die? _Hm…_ he registered the thought with a nonchalant raise of his eyebrow. Would that even be so bad...? If he died, then at least he could escape this hell. A weak voice in his head tried to fight those thoughts away. _No. Think of Taetae hyung. Yoongi hyung. Jiminie hyung. Hobi hyung. Namjoon hyung. Seokjin hyung… Jungsoo hyung._

 

But they seemed so far away. In a way, he was happy they were far away. Then at least Seokjin hyung and Jungsoo hyung could be safe from the police. He grimaced as another part of him let out angry, hurt tears. He wished Jungsoo hyung could get him out. Didn’t he owe him that? After all, he was the reason he was even a vampire. _Please, someone. Anyone._ _Please, I don’t know how long I can survive this for._ A tear trickled down his cheek.

 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a sudden bright light. His retinas burned. _No, please not again._ He squinted and rolled over to make out the figure of an officer. Despite his exhaustion, his heart raced in his chest. He recognized her as Officer Kim, the woman who seemed to be devoid of emotion. He shuddered as her chilly words came back to him. “ _From the screams I’ve heard in the past though, I’ve gathered it’s basically constant agony.”_

 

“So, ready to get started?” she asked, standing tall with her chin pointed up. Jungkook wondered if asking rhetorical questions was something she relished. “On the bed,” she directed. Jungkook forced his aching limbs up. If he had learned one thing here, it was that if he disobeyed, the pain that would follow was tenfold that of what would result if he were willing. He winced, breath catching in his throat. He could swear his joints creaked with disuse. Or perhaps the bath had gotten to them.

 

“Good.” She wheeled in a metal trolley, filled to the brim with various medical equipment. The ones that caught Jungkook’s eye first were a scalpel, scissors, and a strange contraption that had a circular shape in its center. He wasn’t sure what it was for, and he didn’t want to find out. The instruments glinted in the light, locking in his fear.

 

When she finished strapping him down and tightening the buckles, she took a syringe and jabbed it into his forearm, just below the elbow. Jungkook saw his blood fill the needle. He frowned as he thought of all the things the police might be trying to do with the sample of his blood. His groggy mind gradually dug up the pieces of conversation he had picked up when he was first captured, about his brother and how they would inject something in him if they saw him again… Could they be taking blood samples to find ways to kill vampires? Or perhaps it was to heal themselves for emergency use?

 

He winced as she readied another needle. He watched in dismay as he recognized the sickly yellow liquid as the substance that would slow his healing. He was almost certain the effects from the last one still hadn’t worn off yet. It was strange how he had lived almost 18 years as a human, yet he already felt the woeful loss of his rapid healing abilities. Had he already gotten used to being a vampire? The thought unnerved him.

 

Jungkook held his breath as Officer Kim pushed the syringe in. She turned to him and actually imparted a warning this time. She even made a slight grimace. “Today will actually be quite unpleasant.” She paused, and for the first time, Jungkook saw the ghost of remorse smear her otherwise perfectly cold demeanor. She lowered her voice. “I personally hate to do this one, but I have orders from the higher-ups.” As Jungkook regarded her, his insides chilled. If _she_ of all people, hated to do whatever she was going to do, then what was he supposed to expect? Nausea swept over him and he felt a pulsing in his head.

 

With a sigh, she drew the circular instrument from the trolley and stepped toward him. “Wh-what are you going to do with that?” Jungkook rasped. If he wasn’t tied down so tightly, he would have recoiled. She ignored his question. Instead, she just said, “If you try to imagine something nice, it’ll hurt less.” She fastened the device around his head, adjusting it into place so that the circular piece hung directly above his right eye. From the distance, when he had first laid eyes on the instrument, he hadn’t concentrated on making out details. Now, he could see that sharp blades and needles were folded into the circle. Jungkook shut his eyes. A whimper escaped him. There was something extremely invasive about having something held so close to his eye. He felt as if his privacy had been stripped away. Officer Kim used her left hand to force his eye back open, after which she drew out a disturbingly long blade from the circle. It looked like a miniature knife. She unfolded it so that it sat at a disturbingly perpendicular angle to the surface of his eye. It was mere millimeters away. “I _am_ sorry,” she said as she jabbed it in with meticulous dexterity.

 

\---

 

A whole week had passed since Jungkook had gone missing. That was at least 168 hours, if his calculations were correct. A lot could happen in 168 hours. Taehyung sank deeper into the couch.  

 

“Hey guys, I made bean sprout soup. There’s also kimchi and rice,” Seokjin said quietly. “Let’s eat.” The others slowly gathered around the table, joined by the unspoken dark cloud of Jungkook’s absence, but Taehyung stayed put where he was.

 

“Taehyung, come on,” Seokjin said. He sighed, furrowing his brows in concern. “You haven’t eaten properly this whole week.”

 

“I’m not hungry,” Taehyung muttered, standing up to slowly head in the direction to Jimin’s room. His own room was too empty. Seeing Jungkook’s things was a constant reminder of how much his absence ached. It was painful enough without that. Where could Jungkook be? _He must have been taken by that bastard - the one who calls himself his brother._ Taehyung recalled the tall man with the spiked up black hair and cold eyes. He clenched his jaw in distaste. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could still feel the rough way the man had bit into his neck, throwing him aside as though he were a rag doll. He shuddered. He recalled the way he had tried to force Jungkook to drink from him. The way he had taunted him. The image of Jungkook stabbing himself again and again with the stake so that he wouldn’t have to feed on him. Even though he had been fading in and out of consciousness at the time, the memories were vivid intruders of his dreams. Taehyung’s stomach twisted. What did he want with Jungkook? What was he doing with him? Or, could Jungkook have been taken by someone else entirely? Taehyung grabbed at his hair, frustrated with himself. As his boyfriend, he was useless. _What if Jungkook’s out there somewhere, feeling all alone and afraid?_ The thought of Jungkook scared and suffering by himself pushed his heart up into his throat, choking him.

 

“Tae, you gotta eat.” Taehyung turned to see Jimin enter the room. He hadn’t even registered the sound of the door opening.

 

Taehyung shook his head, burying his face into the blankets. Jimin tried again. “Tae, if you keep going on like this, I’m scared you might collapse one day. Please, let’s go eat.”

 

“Do you think Jungkook’s eating well?” Taehyung asked in a small voice.

 

Jimin stopped. “I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair, stressed. “But what I _do_ know is that our Jungkookie would be sad if he knew that you’ve been like this.” He rested his chin on Taehyung’s shoulder and enveloped him in a hug from the back. “Tae, you have to be strong, for him. What if it was the other way around? What if you were gone, and he was here? Would you like it if he was starving himself?”

 

“No, but-”

 

“Then let’s go, hmm?” Jimin gently tugged at Taehyung’s shirt. “We _will_ get him back,” Jimin said with conviction, hiding the doubt that clouded his own mind. He dragged a protesting Taehyung over to the table.

 

\---

 

“Wooseok hyung.” Jungsoo sauntered into Wooseok’s office, smile in place, hair gelled up in the front in his usual impeccable spike. He placed a cup of coffee down on the desk for Wooseok. “Black, like your soul,” he joked.

 

Wooseok frowned. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the mission?”

 

“Oh, we’ve done all we can for today. Tomorrow, we receive word from the reps in America and China. Then we can proceed with the rest.”

 

“No.” Wooseok shook his head impatiently. “What I _mean_ is, what are you doing about Jungkook?”

 

“Huh? Jungkook? What do you mean?” Jungsoo asked, raising his brows in confusion. “Did something happen to Jungkook?” A note of urgency entered his voice.

 

 _Does he really not know?_ Wooseok drew his brows together and creased his forehead. “Jungkook’s been taken in by the police.”

 

“What?!” Jungsoo's eyes widened in disbelieving shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he yelled.

 

“I did! I had back-to-back surgeries for the past two days, and you were away too, so I sent you messages on your phone! Did you not see them?”

 

“I left it while I was away because it kept restarting… I didn’t see them,” Jungsoo said, the taste of remorse bitter in his voice.

 

“If you don’t even check your phone, why do you have one?” Wooseok hissed in frustration.

 

Jungsoo shut his eyes tight, jaw clenched firmly. “What do you think they’re doing to him?” he finally asked in a pained voice.

 

Wooseok didn’t reply right away. There was no easy way to say it. He said quietly, “I asked one of the hackers to gain access to their cameras, and… it’s not good. I’m sorry, Jungsoo.” He looked down, his eyes full of sorrow.

 

“What are they doing?” Jungsoo persisted, determined to know.

 

“The same thing they did to you. _All of it_.” Wooseok winced as past memories rushed up to the surface. The first time he had met Jungsoo. He was in the hospital of Headquarters, in shock over the fourteen-year-old boy who had just been wheeled in. His flesh was all but burnt, and his healing mechanism had been slowed to an excruciating extent. He remembered how it had been one of his most challenging operations. He had only been in the clan for a few years, and didn’t have the decade of medical experience and know-how he had under his belt now. His hands had shaken, triggered by memories of his own younger brother. From one angle, Jungsoo even resembled him. The defiance, the deep hate he seemed to harbour, as though he were just searching for an excuse to lash it out at the world.

 

Jungsoo blinked twice, slowly gritting his teeth. He stood in silent fury for a while. Then, without warning, he pounded his fist down onto a table that sat to his left. “DAMMIT!” A hole had been punched right through the table, with chips of wood hanging where it broke. Wooseok had to stop him before he destroyed the whole table. He held him from behind while Jungsoo seethed with rage, demanding Wooseok to let go of him. “Jungsoo,” Wooseok said evenly. “We have to think of a plan. We’re wasting precious time. The police have upped their defenses ever since your last stint. We have to be more careful this time.”

 

“Careful? Who cares about being careful? We have to get him out as soon as possible. _That's_ what we have to think about first, before _anything_ else!”

 

“Well, you’d be no good to him dead. Think this through,” Wooseok said in a voice that exuded both compassion and sternness. “Let’s just think of a way to convince the General that we should carry out this mission.”

 

At mention of the General, Jungsoo let out an exasperated sound. “To hell with the General! Jungkook’s my _brother_! I’d like to see the General try and stop me.”

 

Wooseok put a hand on Jungsoo’s shoulder. “You know you don’t mean that. I’m sure that if you ask, he’ll let you. He’s always been flexible with your missions.”

 

There was a pause. “I know,” Jungsoo finally admitted. “But with all the preparations for the plan that we’ve been doing, I doubt he’ll allow this one. We’re already short on time and people as it is. You _know_ how important this plan is. We can’t mess it up.”

 

“Talk to him,” Wooseok said. “There must be a way to save Jungkook _and_ carry out the plan perfectly.” He glanced over to face Jungsoo. The younger boy nodded. The fear and uncertainty that had clouded his face a moment ago were already replaced with a look of determination. His jaw was firm and his eyes hardened with focus. Wooseok could see the gears in his mind shifting and turning as he narrowed his eyes, analyzing and assessing different methods for convincing the General, while simultaneously eliminating and reasoning out new routes for Jungkook’s rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of curiosity, what do you think of my original characters? I don't have much experience making characters, so I would like to know your opinions ^=^ Or maybe it's too early to ask? 
> 
> Also, the next chapter will be a pretty important chapter in terms of plot.


	13. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungkook learns the real reason why his brother turned him into a vampire.

A cold hand to his shoulder woke Jungkook from his fitful sleep. He shrank back, trying to edge himself as far away as possible. Terror clutched at his chest like a blanket of ice. He was certain his eyes were open, yet nothing came into view. He struggled to recall details of what had happened before he was thrust into his cell again. He flinched as he was met with the memory of a sharp needle-like instrument piercing his eyes. Shivering, he tried to sense the location of the officer. It must be another sick game. Some of them liked to scare and taunt him before dragging him off for the day. Perhaps today, they wanted to laugh at his blind form cowering in fear. He balled his hands into fists, tensing as he awaited what would come. Nothing happened. After a while, he put a fist to his mouth and bit down on it in trepidation.

 

Finally, he couldn’t take the silence anymore. He cried out, “Please don’t take me back. Please, please.” Tears rolled down his cheeks and he gave futile kicks to his front. His heart thudded in his chest and his breaths came rapidly.

 

“Shh, Jungkook, it’s me. You’re safe now,” a voice finally said, almost hesitantly. A strangely familiar voice. He frowned. It sounded out of place somehow, like it wasn’t supposed to belong here. The only voices that seemed to belong here were the taunting lowtones of Officer Nam, the calm and bored voice of Officer Kim, or the calculatingly cold articulations of Officer Cho. It took a few seconds before he recognized it to belong to Jungsoo hyung.

 

 _Hyung?_ Before he could say anything, a lump rose in his throat and tears sprang to his eyes. He simultaneously wanted to cry “ _Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here”_ and “ _Where were you all this time?”_ He sobbed, unintelligible murmurs rising out of his throat. His shoulders shook harder as his brother tapped him on the head the way he used to when they were younger. It took him a few more minutes to calm himself. His brother helped him breathe normally, giving light taps to his head in a comforting gesture.

 

His brother whispered, “I’m so sorry, Jungkook. I’m _so_ sorry. I-” He broke off. “I had no idea things would get this way.” The apology in his hyung’s voice sounded genuine, to Jungkook’s surprise. He sniffled, then let out something in between a laugh and a cry. _It was a funny situation after all, wasn’t it?_ What a place for a nice family reunion. His brother being _nice_ to him, after all this time? Could it be his hyung was really like that, and for some reason, he was only pretending to be a terrible person? He wanted to believe he was the same person as the brother he knew from his childhood. He seemed like him right now. Maybe he was. But then who was the person that threatened to kill his boyfriend? The person who _turned_ him? Jungkook squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head in a moment of confusion as he tried to make sense of the two identities.  

 

“I’m here to get you out,” Jungsoo said, interrupting his thoughts. “We don’t have that much time until the next officer comes, but I don’t think they’ve noticed me yet.”

 

 _Get me out?_ Was that even possible? He didn’t know how long he had been in this cell for, but already, it seemed like his reality. The stage, his dorm, the members - everything he was familiar with - had seemed to float away as though they had never existed, replaced by this cold police dungeon.

 

“Can you walk?” his brother asked, taking Jungkook’s arm gingerly. Jungkook nodded and tried to stand, but stumbled immediately. His brother caught him before he could fall, supporting him with his arms. Jungkook tried to brush him off, insisting he could walk on his own, but the moment he tried to take a step, his knees collapsed on him. “Okay, this won’t do,” Jungsoo muttered. In one fluid motion, he gathered Jungkook’s legs and lifted him into his arms before he could even protest.

 

“Please, help me,” a weak voice suddenly echoed toward them. It seemed to come from one of the other prison cells. He felt his brother pause, then place a steady hand on the back of his head, supporting it. He said reluctantly, “Listen, I’ll take you to a door not too far from here, and a hyung I know will be waiting there. His name’s Wooseok, and you can trust him. Go with him. You’ll be safe. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I just have to go get that guy out first. Will you be okay with that?”

 

The thought of his hyung leaving made him anxious again. Now, with his vision temporarily gone, he felt even more vulnerable. But he knew the important thing was to get the other vampire out. Whoever he was, he didn’t deserve to be stuck in here any longer. After a sharp intake of breath, Jungkook nodded. “Don’t take too long though,” he said, voice quivering slightly.

 

“I’ll be right behind you,” his brother reassured him as he carried him toward the door. Before he opened it, he spoke into an earpiece. “Wooseok hyung, you there?” There was static for a second, before he heard a reply. “Yep, you got him?” a calm voice asked.

 

Jungsoo replied, “Yeah, we’re right outside the door now. All clear?” With Wooseok’s confirmation, Jungkook heard the door open. He felt his brother’s arms release him slowly, allowing his feet to find the ground. Almost instantly, they were replaced by another pair of arms, unfamiliar yet somehow steady and comforting. A deep, quiet voice said, “Hey Jungkook, I’m Wooseok. From here on, we need to move quickly, so I’ll get you to go on my back, alright?” His every word was serenity and Jungkook found himself nodding. His anxiety died down a little as he felt his way around to climb onto Wooseok’s back. He felt his brother give him a light tap on the head before leaving, the air around him turning empty.

 

Jungkook expected the ride to be a bumpy one, but Wooseok seemed to glide out of the dungeon. A minute later, an alarm blared through the air and an emergency code repeated itself on the speaker system. It made him jerk his head up. _Of course. This was too good to be true._ Dread pooled in the inside of his stomach. He couldn’t imagine having to go back. He tightened his hold on Wooseok’s shoulders. “Jungsoo hyung… you don’t think they caught him, right?” He surprised himself when his voice came out more high-pitched than usual.

 

“I’m sure if he was in trouble, he would have alerted me or called for back-up. We have a small team waiting outside in case things get really bad, but we’re keeping them outside as lookouts for now. It’s the kind of mission he can handle without back-up though, so don’t worry about him.” Wooseok’s voice remained calm, in the professional, practiced way that an expert who was used to high-pressure situations would sound.  

 

 _The kind of mission he can handle without back-up._ Jungkook inhaled deeply and exhaled. Nothing to worry about. Jungsoo hyung _did_ say he’d be right behind him. Jungkook tried to convince himself that Wooseok was right and that his hyung would appear next to them soon and tap him on the head again.

 

“Alright, we’re out.” Jungkook felt himself being gently lifted down onto the ground. He heard rustling next to him. Wooseok seemed to be rummaging for something. Jungkook heard a small opening of something. A lid?

 

“Here,” Wooseok said, putting something in his hands. “It’s artificial blood. It should make you feel better.” Jungkook lifted it to his lips, thankfully drinking it in. He inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. His soreness and pain started to alleviate immediately. Already, he could start making out details of the world around him. First it was just blurs of colour - opaque circles of red, blue, green - but once he finished the whole bag, he could make out even the small etches of the leaves of the tree several feet away from him in sharp clarity. Strength returned to his muscles and he was now able to stand firmly on his own. When he was almost finished, he squeezed the bag tightly in his hands, tipping his head back, determined to get every last drop.

 

Next to him, Wooseok said, “If he doesn’t get out after five more minutes, we’re going in.” Jungkook turned to him. He saw the man for the first time. Wooseok looked to be in his late twenties. His black hair was neatly trimmed and he carried himself strongly, giving him an orderly elegance. His eyes were so warm and sincere that, despite not knowing him, Jungkook felt he could trust him. Wooseok pointed to a spot on the black jacket he was wearing. “There’s a button attached to his jacket he can press that would notify us if he’s really in trouble, but he hasn’t pressed it.”

 

“What if something’s stopping him from pressing it?” Jungkook asked, knitting his brows together.

 

“He’s done this kind of thing before. Don’t worry too much.” Wooseok patted his shoulder carefully, as though he wanted to reassure him but at the same time, ensure he wouldn’t feel threatened by the touch. “Like I said, if he doesn’t come back in five minutes, we’ll go in.”

 

Jungkook tapped his foot anxiously, chewing at his nails as he inspected the watch Wooseok wore on his wrist. The five minutes were almost up, yet his hyung still hadn’t returned. What if-

 

“There he comes,” Wooseok murmured, pointing at two figures in the distance. Jungkook let out a sigh of relief. He had assumed the worst, but Jungsoo hyung had come back. He frowned as he looked closer. His hyung looked exhausted, and he stumbled his way toward them. By his side was the vampire who had called for help. He was bloodied and limping, and his arm held onto his brother’s shoulder for support. His hyung faltered for a moment, the weight of the other man burdening him. Still, he gritted his teeth harder and kept moving forward. When he got close, he held his hand up in a careless wave.

 

Jungkook ran to him. “What happened?!” Wooseok followed quickly, taking the other vampire from Jungsoo and carefully lowering him to the ground.

 

“No big deal,” Jungsoo panted.

 

“You’re losing your touch, Lieutenant-General,” Wooseok said with a playful smirk as he drew another blood bag from the folds of his jacket for the other vampire to drink. Jungsoo rolled his eyes, but stumbled. Wooseok’s smile immediately faded as he rushed to his side to support him. Jungkook’s eyes fell on his brother’s tattered leather jacket. He pulled it aside to reveal blood dripping from his neck and abdomen. He looked up in alarm. His brother looked drained of energy. Wooseok carefully checked for the extent of his injuries, then looked Jungsoo in the eye as if to ask a silent question.

 

“They stuck me with one of those…” Jungsoo answered, trailing off.

 

Jungkook frowned and waited for an explanation, but none came. Wooseok seemed to understand what he meant right away. “Then we have no time to spare. We have to get you back to base so I can get you the antidote.” He kept his voice calm, as though he were going through steps in a procedure.

 

“Hyung,” Jungsoo said. “I got it.” He reached for the inner pocket of his jacket, wincing as he did so. After a moment, he stretched his hand out to reveal a vial. “It’s what they’ve started using lately that’s been killing all those vampires.”

 

“Thanks,” Wooseok said, placing a hand on Jungsoo’s shoulder. “I’ll study this, see if I can come up with some sort of antidote. Come on, let’s get to base so I can patch all of you up.”

 

\---

 

“How are you feeling?” Wooseok asked, noting Jungkook with concern as the younger boy was shaking, even with the blanket wrapped around his body.

 

Jungkook ignored the question. “Why did he have to turn me into a vampire? Is this _revenge_? For our childhood?” he burst out. He didn’t know what to feel. Relief and thankfulness at being rescued and taken out of that hellish place? Anger at the fact that his existence as a vampire was the reason he was imprisoned and tortured in the first place? Betrayal and concern toward Jungsoo hyung?

 

Wooseok gave him a look of sympathy, but said nothing otherwise. He looked almost pained, as though he wanted to say something, but was holding back. Growing desperate, Jungkook begged, “Please, if you know something, tell me. I _need_ to know. There must be another reason he’s not telling me.” He _had_ to believe there was one. What was the _point_ of being a vampire if there wasn’t even a solid reason behind it? _No, there must be one,_ he argued fiercely to himself. _Otherwise he wouldn’t have done it. Otherwise… I won’t be able to forgive him._

 

He put his hands to his temples. Everything was so confusing and overwhelming. Thoughts were jumbling around in his head and he fought to get a grip on them. He put a hand over his mouth, trying to calm himself, but all that did was invite back scenes from the dungeon. He tried to cast aside the memory of his mouth burning as the sodium hydroxide solution had scraped at his throat when he had swallowed it accidentally while he was submerged during his torture. He brought his hand away from his mouth and focused on steadying his breathing instead. He had to think, get answers. This was the best chance he had gotten thus far. It was clear that Wooseok was close to his brother, so he must know quite a bit about him. If anyone would give him answers, it was Wooseok. His brother probably wouldn’t. He remembered how his brother had taken to a flippant attitude lately. He was almost certain none of his questions would be answered properly if he went to him to ask. “ _Why?_ ” Jungkook repeated, as though prompting Wooseok to answer.

 

Wooseok gave him a look of sympathy, then let out a deep sigh and smoothed over the blankets on Jungkook’s hospital bed. His voice was soft when he said, “As a vampire, you’d be immune.”

 

Jungkook’s brow furrowed and he cocked his head to the side. “Immune to what?”

 

\---

 

“Hey, guys, did you see the news today?” Manager Song called.

 

“No, was there anything important?” Namjoon asked, looking up from the performance video he was monitoring on his phone.

 

Manager Song frowned. “They say that there’s been an outbreak of a virus. A couple people even died from it this week. The government’s planning on quarantine. It sounds pretty serious.”

 

The boys dropped what they were doing and gathered to the television. The reporter said, “-seems to be in the same family of viruses as SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which devastated Asia in 2002 and 2003. The government is taking measures to quarantine. They are looking into the water supply, farms, and are in talks with the relevant authorities to prevent spread as much as possible. As of now, the source remains unknown. The Center for Disease Control has advised that everyone not only wash their hands regularly, but also to limit their time outdoors, especially avoiding large crowds and hospitals if possible, where many diseases are known to spread. This virus seems to be spread through both direct contact with infectious material, as well as by airborne routes. Further precautions issued by the CDC... ”

 

The boys looked to each other in horror. Jimin said, “What about our families? And what about Jungkook… where is he? What if he’s out there all alone?” Taehyung’s eyes darted around the room nervously and he folded his hands together as if in silent prayer that Jungkook would be alright.

 

Namjoon turned back to his cell phone to contact his parents. Yoongi reassured Jimin, “Don’t worry. Jungkook’s a strong kid. He’ll be okay, I know it,” but even as he said so, his voice quivered as his vision grew blurry at the thought of losing the boy who was no different from a real brother to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry I didn't update in so long. I was a bit busy and I had difficulty getting back into the groove of this story for some reason. But it's coming back now :)


	14. Virus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungkook makes a difficult decision for Bangtan.

“What is this virus anyway?” Jungkook asked, frowning. “There’ve been other ones in the past few years, but we’ve been able to control them with time. And how do you even know about it? I didn’t hear about it in the news.” What was so different about this virus that was so important that his brother had to take measures against it?

 

Wooseok cleared his throat, but it sounded more like a small cough. “This virus isn’t an accident. We made it. Our leader has been preparing for this since before you were born.” When Jungkook just stared at him in horror, he elaborated, “The… goal is to get rid of all the humans in the world.”

 

“What- the _leader_ of your clan is planning on using a virus to wipe out the entire human race?!” Jungkook asked, mouth still hanging wide open, head spinning for a moment as he sat up too abruptly in his bed.

 

Wooseok considered him silently, before nodding.

 

“Wh-why?” The idea was so incredulous that he was at a loss for words.

 

“Revenge," he said simply. "The humans have destroyed us, and are continuing to do so. If we don’t get rid of them, we can’t have a future.” Wooseok’s voice was low and it contained notes of solemnness, which Jungkook didn’t understand.

 

“Well, that’s because vampires kill humans all over the world!” Jungkook exclaimed.

 

“Most vampires have used animal blood or synthetic human blood for _decades_ ,” Wooseok suddenly hissed. “Still, there are rogues of our kind who continue to feed on humans for blood, and the humans target us all for it.”

  
Jungkook’s forehead creased. “But even so, this isn’t right. Do you really agree to this?” he asked. The doctor seemed so compassionate. He couldn’t actually think this all made sense.

 

“I don’t like it,” Wooseok admitted with a hint of sorrow in his voice. “But it’s the only way.” After a pause, he revealed, “I’m in the team of scientists who developed the virus in the first place.”

 

Jungkook held him with his eyes for a long minute. He wanted to say a million things, except he remembered Wooseok was the one who patched him up. He had also risked his neck to help save him. Jungkook knew he shouldn’t be rude, so in the pressure of the situation, he held back, deciding to veer off instead.

 

“And vampires are immune to _all_ disease?” Jungkook asked in disbelief. There were still so many unanswered questions about being a vampire, questions he had meant to ask Jin hyung about, but had never gotten the chance. In the days he spent lying in the cold cage of the police station dungeon, he had wondered if he would _ever_ get the chance to speak with Jin hyung again. A small warmth hugged his heart as he knew he would be back with his members soon. _Taetae hyung_. What he wouldn’t give to be in his arms right now, with his hands weaving in his boyfriend’s soft hair and his smooth lips upon his. His heart felt as if it would break in two at the mere thought of him.

 

The doctor replied, “There’s a high chance. Most people would say yes, because to put it simply, there hasn’t been any recorded or known case of a vampire coming down with any type of viral or bacterial illness, or any other human ailment really, even while living in close contact with infected individuals in times of plague, so you could think of it that way. But scientifically, I can’t give a definite conclusion, especially when there’s so much we still don’t know.” He stopped to observe Jungkook and continued, “That’s just me being a scientist though. It would be wrong to speak in absolutes, but immunity to disease is a widely-accepted perk of being a vampire in our community, at least.” He scratched his head softly. “It’s not like Jungsoo acted without knowing anything… he knew turning you into one of us would be the safest bet. If there’s anything else about vampirism you want to know, ask away. I’ll answer all your questions.”

 

Jungkook thought for a moment. He wondered if there was a chance, some kind of backup plan that could be put in place so that the humans could be saved. “Then… does that mean that if a human was infected with the virus _you_ and your team made, and you turned them into a vampire, they wouldn’t be sick anymore?” He searched the doctor's eyes. Was the hopefulness in his tone too obvious?

 

Wooseok leaned back in his chair. “I’m afraid it wouldn’t work that way. Vampirism gives immunity, but that’s only if you were a vampire before infection. After infection, it would only speed up the virus’ effects. You see, your vampire blood would not only help you, but also help the infected cells in your body. In the end, that person would succumb, unable to handle their condition, coupled with the hardship of their transition period.”

 

“I see,” Jungkook said, dismayed. His shoulders slumped. _So it’s basically die or become a vampire before the virus takes you._ He had another question. “How come some people are born as vampires? My parents weren’t vampires. Or at least, I don’t think they were. So how come...” He trailed off, knowing the doctor would pick up where he left his thought.

 

Wooseok explained, “It’s a rare recessive mutation. It’s quite complex, so it depends on a lot of factors, but in your brother’s case, your parents must have both been carriers for the vampire genes, even if they weren’t vampires themselves.” When he saw the puzzlement on Jungkook’s furrowed brows, he gave a clarification on mutations, the types involved, and what a carrier was. Eventually, Jungkook nodded slowly, trying to make the information sink in. It seemed to make sense right now, the way the doctor was telling him. He had a way of making things seem so logical, and it brought a certain order to Jungkook’s mind, as if the messy luggage in his mind had grown limbs and started self-bagging themselves.

 

“How... did you and my brother become friends?” he asked before he could stop himself.

 

Wooseok gave him a strange look. Jungkook elaborated, “He just never liked people in general, or at least that’s how he was before. So it’s kind of a surprise that you seem like close friends, I guess.” He hoped it didn’t sound offensive, as he hadn’t meant it that way. He had simply stated it the way it was.

 

Wooseok chuckled. “He’s still like that, don’t worry. It’s a long story, but your brother Jungsoo’s really not a bad kid.” Fond wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes.  

 

Hm. So the doctor didn’t want to tell him. Instead of pushing the matter further, Jungkook changed the subject. “So, why are you in the clan? You could probably be working at a really big hospital with your skills, or at a top research center or something.”

 

The area around Wooseok’s lips tightened. “I was actually a med student at Yonsei University, but I quit when my younger brother joined the clan. You see, my family was an extremely rare case where my parents, my brother, and I were all vampires from birth. But my parents were taken away one day, then tortured and killed. By the vampire police. Of course, they claimed it was in self-defense, that my parents had attacked them. Impossible. They wouldn’t have done that.” His voice had turned venomous for a moment, but he let in a breath, proceeding to say his next words in a factual tone that barely emitted any emotion. Not in such a way that was robotic or lacked compassion, but in a rational way that seemed to be so characteristic of the doctor, not that Jungkook even knew him very well at all.

 

“My brother was young, nineteen at the time, and was going crazy over revenge. So he joined the clan to achieve that and I followed him, since I couldn’t let him go there alone. I had to protect him. But during one of his rescue missions, when we infiltrated the vamp police and freed a couple of vampires, he was caught and killed.”

 

Jungkook swallowed. His brows furrowed in sympathy. “After that, I couldn’t leave. I have to stay and try to create a better world - one where my brother wouldn’t have died.”

 

“I’m really sorry about your family,” Jungkook said, looking down. “It must have been terrible.” He knew it was probably the understatement of the year, but he hoped the expression in his eyes was enough to translate the sympathy he felt toward the man.

 

Wooseok paused. “You and your brother… I really hope you can grow close again.”

 

Jungkook let out a small laugh in surprise. Would that even be possible? The idea seemed ridiculous with everything that had happened, but he replied, “I hope so too.” Wooseok smiled at him and Jungkook gave an awkward smile in return.

 

“So. Anyway, your injuries should heal within a few hours. They injected a substance in you to slow your healing process, so that’s why it’s gonna take longer than normal, but you should be fine by tomorrow. I’ll come back then.”

 

Jungkook thanked him. As Wooseok turned to leave, he was reminded of how the room would feel different when he was in it alone. Darker. He was not looking forward to spending the night in a hospital. He wished he could be in his own bedroom, cuddling with Taehyung. Images of his boyfriend’s beautiful box-shaped smile popped into his mind. He could feel his own mouth twitch into a smile by instinct. His heart ached. He missed him _so_ much. He missed all of them. “I have to go back,” he said, making the doctor pause in his steps. “My members must be wondering where I am. I have to be with them.”

 

Wooseok turned to give him a sympathetic look. “Kid… I’m sorry, but you can’t.”

 

“Why not?” Jungkook demanded. “You can’t keep me here.”

 

“Here, look.” Wooseok took out his phone and made a few taps on the keyboard, making a search. He passed the phone over to Jungkook with an apologetic look on his face. “This was just released.”

 

Jungkook’s eyes widened in horror as he made out the headline “BTS’ Jungkook revealed to be a vampire.” He frantically scrolled down to read the article.

 

_Bangtan Boys’ Jungkook, who had been reported missing two weeks ago, has just been revealed by the VCDMU (Vampire Control and Disciplinary Measures Unit), investigative branch of the police, to be a vampire. The 18-year-old idol, who had been held in secret custody instead of reported found, due to the vampire protocols, has escaped this evening. Big Hit Entertainment, the label in charge of Bangtan Boys, has yet to release an official statement._

 

_The head of the vampire unit, Chief Park Seonho, has stated, “I am releasing this information as it is of the utmost importance that the citizens of this country are protected, and I believe it is the right of the general public to have access to this knowledge for their safety. I extend my apologies for the lateness of this message. We are working to the best of our ability to find him. I will not tolerate any vampire to be allowed to remain free and pose a constant threat to our lives.”_

 

Jungkook’s heart pounded in his chest. His worst fears had turned into reality. His identity had been revealed to the entire world. His hands grew sweaty as he thought of his fans and his members. He gulped. That meant Yoongi hyung knew. Or if he didn’t, he would find out soon enough. His fingers trembled as he scrolled down further to read the comments on the article.

 

_Scum like that shouldn’t be a part of society, much less be active in an idol group. What is this country coming to?_

 

_A vampire is walking out there, free? And the police tell us this now?! And they probably have no idea where he even is. If someone turns up dead with a bloody neck, the blood is on their hands._

 

_I’m shocked… Jungkook oppa… a vampire? Still, I’m going to support him and Bangtan, always. Once an ARMY, forever an ARMY…_

 

_Stupid fans who will even support vampires…that’s no different from supporting serial killers. The younger generation...tsk tsk… I feel sorry to our ancestors, thinking of the sacrifices they made for our country, only for it to turn out like this._

 

_We should listen to Jungkook’s side of the story too… people, let’s not get so riled up. Who said he even did anything wrong?_

 

_Yeah, if you’re a true fan, how could you turn against him so easily without even hearing him out? People like you are probably antis who were just waiting for Bangtan to slip up so that your no-name group could get attention. No chance of that happening though…_

 

_You are probably a vampire yourself, if you’re defending him. The fact that he even got taken by the vamp police means that he did something wrong._

 

_Don’t act like vampires are so different from us. They are people too. Have some compassion._

 

_If he is found and they let him continue promoting in his group… I’m going to lose my faith in humanity._

 

_If he has any shame, he should drop out of Bangtan. I feel sorry for the other members. Poor boys, they might have to disband just because of one member…_

 

_Who’s to say the other members don’t know? They were probably all in on it. They should disband._

 

_I’m... a big fan of BTS, and Jungkook is my bias, but when I think of my sister who was killed by a vampire, I feel so sorry toward her. I don’t think I could look at her picture properly anymore… I know it’s not fair to see them as all the same, but it is true that they all have an instinct to feed on our blood..._

 

_It’s things like this that make our country laughable to the rest of the world. Just look at other countries. They have strict rules so this kind of thing never happens. A vampire? In an idol group? Wow… unbelievable._

 

_What a traitor! We loved and trusted him, but he turned out to be one of those bloodsucking monsters? And he hid it so well too! Wow, you really don’t know what people are like on the inside._

 

_He should leave Bangtan, if he truly loves them and doesn’t want to bring them down._

 

Jungkook’s eyes stung with tears as he imagined each of the negative comments coming from Yoongi hyung’s mouth. They might as well have been. One thing was for certain: there was no going back to Bangtan. Going back would only bring them down. Even now, they might have to disband. But if he joined them, staying as a group was not only out of the question, but it would also reflect terribly on all of them. Even his hyungs’ prospects of solo careers in the future would be harmed, just by being supporters.

 

He desperately hoped Jin hyung would be okay and he felt a small relief in knowing that his identity seemed safe for now, at least. Even whilst knowing he had to leave, he was loathe to do so, but he knew he _had_ to accept it, no matter how painful it was. He took a few deep breaths, trying to compose himself. _Why did Jungsoo hyung have to turn me into a vampire?_ Bitterly, he thought he would rather die from the virus as a human than live as a vampire. Would he be forced to watch his friends die? Or would he resort to turning his friends into vampires? That would be cruel. To many humans, it was a fate worse than death.

 

Jungkook tried to press down his emotions. _What’s done is done._ After all, didn’t he know from the start that he would have to leave them someday? It was the best thing he could do for them. He felt stupid at how little he had thought about what would happen after escaping the police. _Of course_ they would out him to the public. Yet he had thought only of returning to his members. Jungkook pressed his lips into a thin, hard line.

 

He turned to Wooseok. “I understand. I’ll stay here,” he forced himself to say. The words felt like sandpaper grating on his tongue.


	15. The General

“Just follow the scent of flowers,” a clan vampire had told Jungkook when he’d asked her for directions. When he looked at her in confusion, she’d smirked. “If you’re a proper vampire, that should be within your skill set.”

  
  
According to her, Jungkook had been called by the General himself for a meeting. When his eyes grew wide in alarm, she told him it was only customary whenever a new recruit came in, nothing to sweat over.

 

Sure enough, the smell of flowers, though faint at first, was certainly there and traceable. He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate. Trails of colour filled his mind, each one representing a different scent. He opened his eyes. Confident he knew the way, he started walking.

 

After a good ten minutes, he came across a door. It led him outside to a garden. A hint of lavender flitted by his nose. A feeling of deja vu came to him.

 

This wasn’t the same garden, he realized. He was sure of it. This one was way grander. It reduced the other one to a mere echo of it.

 

It was as if every flower, every plant was so carefully tended and organized in the space they inhabited, that Jungkook felt as though it were all a game of design. They were neat and even the colours and scents were coordinated optimally. However, that did not rob it of room for spontaneity. In a strange way, the positions and order of it all seemed natural.

 

In the middle of the garden, sitting on a white chair, was a man. Jungkook couldn’t make out his face, as the man sat with his back turned.

 

Awkwardly, Jungkook chewed at his lip, not knowing how to make himself known. The General had probably sensed his presence. Why couldn’t he just turn around and make things a whole lot easier?

 

“I heard you asked to speak with me?” Jungkook called. He’d meant to sound confident, but his efforts fell flat. This was a man who ran the entire organization of vampires who wanted to wipe out the human race. They supposedly had connections and subdivisions all over the globe. He had no idea what to expect. How did one even talk to such a person? What could they even talk about?

 

As Jungkook held his breath in nervous anticipation, the General turned.

 

He had a warm, _fatherly_ face. His own father’s face popped into his mind. Feature-wise, they were quite different. However, the sum of all the expressions and geometry of the General’s face somehow melded together to create an atmosphere similar to that of his father. Especially when his father had met him with smiles and eagerly engaged him in conversation.

 

It unnerved him. Jungkook had expected someone more menacing, perhaps even a stereotypical power-hungry chaebol from a drama. What surprised him even more was that his own guard started to drop.

 

As his fear took a seat, he wondered if this was why the clan vampires followed him so well, how this man had amassed so much support. Could it truly be that they saw him as a parent figure? The thought made him frown. It was disturbing, yet the image of the man in front of him was real. If they saw him that way, then his army was more formidable than he’d imagined.

 

People could rally behind someone for money or power, but such loyalty could be uprooted and replanted if another so much as matched the price. Family, on the other hand… now those ties were more difficult to cut.

 

Of course, the man’s exterior could very well be a mask. Surely, it had to be. Jungkook scolded himself for not thinking it before, for allowing himself to be convinced so easily.

 

“How are you doing?” the General asked. “Hearing of your injuries had me concerned. But I’m glad to see that you seem much recovered.” The timbre of his voice was warm, a tad deeper than what he had been expecting.

 

“I’m well,” Jungkook said automatically. “How are you?” he asked awkwardly, out of instinct.

 

“Fine as well.” The General gave him a pleasant smile. “Please, sit.” He gestured to a white chair across from his that sat next to a bed of chrysanthemums.

 

Jungkook sat, awaiting his next words in silence.

 

“I heard about the decision you made. It must have been difficult for you.”

 

Pleasantries were the last thing he had expected. “It had to be done,” he said.

 

The General smiled, nodding. “Many things we do are out of necessity.”

 

 _And that includes a mass killing?_ Jungkook would have said, if his mouth wasn’t so frozen.

 

The General glanced over at him, a knowing smile illuminating his features. It was as if he read his thoughts and found amusement in them. “I want to create a world without prejudice. A world where people are free of this pain. If weeding out the humans is the way to do it, then so be it.”

 

“But you can’t fight fire with fire. That’s only going to create more hate in the world. It’s never going to stop!”

 

The General gave a small sigh. “You see, Jungkook, sometimes you can’t win by being peaceful. Sometimes you have to face them with force. My vampires - no, vampires all over the world, have suffered at the hands of the humans. Even you know this.”

 

Jungkook winced as for a moment, he felt his flesh dissolve again.

 

The General continued, “I owe it to them to make a better world. Together, we can start anew. Depend on each other, heal.” He laughed. A nostalgic sound. “I don’t expect you to be convinced right away. I know you’ve been a human for most of your life. Speaking of which, I don’t usually accept those like you into my clan, especially those not even a yearling yet, but I’m making this exception on account of your brother.”

 

Jungkook narrowed his eyes. “How did you come to know him?”

 

“Think of it like this: I am very good at finding people who are alone because of what they are. When I do, I bring them together, and I give them a purpose.”

 

“A purpose to further your own agendas?” Jungkook said, perhaps growing too bold. 

 

“Careful, boy. Up until recently, you were an outsider who knew nothing of our world. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all to treat you as such and throw you away if you prove to be a detriment to us.”

 

The General’s voice had sharpened, like icicles in winter. Gone was any hint of the fatherly man. Jungkook realized then, that this man seemed capable of contorting his facial expressions and voice to suit whatever effect he desired to imbue. But each face he wore was so believable. So real. It was difficult to fit the man into a mould. Jungkook had never seen anyone like him before.

 

He realized with a start that the General struck him as the physical embodiment of the mind compulsion ability itself. He swallowed. He’d been told mind compulsion did not work on other vampires. Despite that, this man achieved the equivalent, not with some supernatural power, but with his own skills of manipulation. 

 

Jungkook took care to soften his voice. He wanted to appear strong, yet not rock the boat. This was a person who was capable of engineering a pandemic. He said, “I understand that you feel all this rage and pain. The humans have done unspeakably terrible things to vampires. But… isn’t this too extreme? There must be a way to coexist, surely-”

 

“Extreme is a word lesser men use when they want to give up. Don’t be one of them, Jungkook. You’re capable of so much more.” The General gave him a stern look. “Prove yourself here, and you will find yourself rewarded.” 

 

The General turned away, his back facing Jungkook. “The others will show you the ropes. You will begin training today.” 

 


End file.
